


For the love of Millicent

by Gyoro_and_Ururun, Saklani



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Abuse, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:06:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 37,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27391678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gyoro_and_Ururun/pseuds/Gyoro_and_Ururun, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saklani/pseuds/Saklani
Summary: The Resistance destroyed the Starkiller base before it could be fired and Poe spots an odd figure trying to escape its destruction. And he seemed to be holding a cat...Poe takes one Armitage Hux and his ginger tabby away from the crumbling Starkiller base back to the Resistance where Hux becomes an unconventional prisoner.All because Poe cares far too much.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Armitage Hux
Comments: 6
Kudos: 60





	1. Compassion

**Author's Note:**

> So Saklani and I have been writing this roleplay and thought we'd share it with you guys. I write Hux's parts and Saklani writes Poe's parts. The POV switches frequently, so if that's not your thing, this may not be for you. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Years of his life’s work was crumbling around him. Somehow the rebel scum had found and destroyed Starkiller base. Hux had thought for a few moments that perhaps he should just fall with it, but then he would not be able to exact revenge upon the filth who had gotten so lucky.

He also could not bring himself to leave his cat there.

_You’re weak, Armitage. Weak and pathetic. Kill it. Kill that weakness and become the man I have been moulding you to be._

He picked up Millicent, shoving his father’s words out of his head. He wasn’t weak. He simply wasn’t.

It became harder to push the words aside as he gazed upon the only ship left that had just been destroyed in front of his eyes.

Hux ran. For once in his life, he had no plan; he calculated scenarios, but they all left him dead. There was no escape.

He could only run in an attempt to convince himself he could get off this crumbling planet. And he hated snow. Why had he put the base here?

Commander Poe Dameron crowed over the open communicator line when he struck the killing blow to the First Order’s Starkiller Base, their plans to destroy the Hosnian System and who knew how many other planets going up in flames around them. But then the planet began to shake and crack, the charging weapon’s power now focused on its very foundation. He ordered all his pilots to retreat from the impending explosion and took a last lap around the area, looking for any of his comrades in need.

Instead, he spied a dark figure, topped with a shock of red, running through the snow, helplessly trying to escape impending doom. For a moment, he considered leaving the man to his fate (he was First Order, after all), but two things stopped him. First, he was not a complete asshole. And second, was that a _cat_ the guy had clutched tenderly and frantically in his arms?!

It was the second that brought him to spin his X-wing into an intercept course and bring her in for a smooth landing as close to the figure and his pet as possible. After all, anyone who would try to save a cat must have more than a residue of humanity within him.

He popped the hatch and yelled, “Over here! Hurry up! We’ve only got a moment!”

Hux skidded to a halt as the X-wing, notorious ship used by the rebellion, landed in front of him. He pulled a blaster from his thigh holster, believing the pilot would attempt something (although why they hadn’t simply blasted him from above puzzled him). He frowned, though, as the pilot...told him to come to him?

He looked behind him, wondering if there was a rebel there that he had failed to take note of, but no. He looked back at the pilot, suspicion in his eyes and his mouth curled into a sneer.

But he only had two options.

Die with Starkiller or die by the hands of the Resistance. He might have chosen the former, but then he thought that, perhaps, he would gain the chance to escape them and he had Millicent to think about.

He pursed his lips as he reluctantly shoved his blaster back into its holster, stepping closer to the ship. Even if it was a trap, he would die either way.

“What is your game?” He couldn’t help but ask.

“To not let your cat die!” Poe yelled back and gestured at the terrified feline still clutched in the other man’s arm. “Now get both your asses in here before all three of us are toast. And toss away that blaster. I don’t need that kind of firepower behind me.” He gritted his teeth as the world bucked around them. 

“Move it, Gingernuts! I’m the best pilot you’ll ever see, but even I won’t be able to get out of here if my ship is cracked in half!”

He slid back into his seat and began a countdown to ten to see if the guy would get aboard. If he hadn’t moved by then, Poe would have to leave them both. He’d hate it, but he couldn’t save idiots.

And the planet was obviously going through its death throes now, more and more splitting around them in jets of flame. He was going to have to move quickly to get them clear in time. But what was life without a little risk?

Hux wanted to blast him for his rudeness, but he held his tongue and holstered the weapon. It didn’t make sense, but he couldn’t fly a ship himself. He tried to put Millicent in first, but her claws were sunk into his tunic in her terror, so he climbed in himself and managed to curl up and shut the compartment.

He felt like his stomach was leaving his body when the pilot started up and he shut his eyes to ignore the tight space around him. He’d always hated small spaces and his tall body wasn’t made for this space.

Poe blew out a relieved breath when the man decided to climb in and managed it safely with his feline friend. “Strap in, buddy,” he said. “This could be a bumpy ride. The straps should fit around you both. BB-8, prepare to give me everything she’s got.” He grinned as the droid beeped, laced with worry, even as he brought the X-wing smoothly off the ground that was breaking up beneath them. He throttled her forward and evaded several blasts of flame, heading for the stars post-haste.

As they cleared the atmosphere and into the stars beyond, the poor planet began to crack literally in half behind them, the force of the Starkiller’s power driving it to burst. “Now, BB-8!” Poe yelled and yanked them into hyperspace, just before the planet exploded behind them in a blast of power that would vaporize everything in the vicinity.

“Woohoo! That’s what I’m talking about, baby!” Poe yelled and just kept himself from pumping his fist into the air and banging his knuckles into the hatch. BB-8 echoed the sentiment with a lusty whistle. And for a moment, Poe allowed himself to slump into the seat and just enjoy a bit of triumphant life.

But he’d escaped one problem with another. “Soooo, introductions seem in order, Gingernuts. I’m Poe Dameron, your pilot extraordinaire and savor. And you are?”

Hux managed to find the strap, strapping himself in for what would turn out to be the worst ride of his life. He was immensely glad that he hadn’t eaten; he was quite sure he might have thrown up. He managed to move his fingers up and down Millicent’s fur in an attempt to calm her, but she was as highly strung as he was and it simply wasn’t working.

Relief washed over him as the ride smoothed out and the pilot started talking. He much preferred the silence, but it didn’t look like he would be getting any.

Poe Dameron. The prisoner who had escaped with the traitor. If he knew that his cat would scratch even those within the First Order if they got too close, that she would scratch him, would he have rescued them? Unfortunately, he was a valuable prisoner, not that he would speak. They would find out the hard way that they could torture him all they wanted, he would not speak.

“Huxley,” he replied shortly.

The longer he went on anonymous, the better, but he doubted there was no one among the rebels that knew who he was.

“Uh huh,” Poe said, not believing that for a second. “And what’s the name of your lovely companion? She’s totally a she, right? I can always tell a princess when I see one.”

BB-8 made an insulting noise, which made Poe laugh. 

“That was one time!” he protested, still laughing. “Seriously, though...Huxley-” he infused the name with dubiousness “-what is her name? She’s the one I was really concerned about. Can’t let a lady like her die on my watch.”

He signalled the Resistance that he was coming in hot with a prisoner, though he somehow already wasn’t thinking of the other man that way. He’d taken responsibility for the other man (and his fuzzy ball) when he’d rescued him and tossing him in a cell wasn’t the way he wanted things to work out. (There were reasons Leia considered him a troublemaker for all that they got along. Proper procedure was just words.)

“Her name is Millicent,” Hux said, holding her as she slowly relaxed in his arms. No purring, no she wasn’t comfortable enough for that yet, but her claws were slowly retracting. Dameron appeared to be a talker and he had a feeling his lie had been caught, but he didn’t care. One way or another, whether he was a General or an officer, he was a prisoner now.

At least until he found a way to escape.

He murmured some words into the cat’s fur, trying to reassure her. The man liked cats, so he supposed, no matter what happened to him, Millicent might be spared. Or they would threaten her to get information from him.

Hux would think of something; some way to get her out of this so that they had no leverage over him.

“Millicent,” Poe rumbled, like the richest, sweetest honey off his tongue. “Don’t you worry, darling, Poe will get you safe and sound to your new home. We’ll take care of you, sweetie. Won’t we, BB-8?”

The droid made a questioning noise that ended with a little beep like laugh. 

Poe glanced up at the hatch, where his reflection was clear to his passengers and winked at them. “Don’t you worry either, Gingernuts. The Resistance is not like the First Order. Having had first-hand experience of your treatment of prisoners, I can safely say that. No torture. No deprivation. No humiliation. I’ll even persuade them to let you keep your girl. Trust me.”

BB-8 laughed again and made a series of long, low beeps.

“Flirting? I am not. Well, maybe with Millie. She is awfully delectable.”

Hux made a face at the way Damron spoke to Millicent; did he not know how to speak to one’s betters? On the man’s talk of how they treat their prisoners, he snorted.

“You’re awfully optimistic; even if your Princess refuses to use or allow such methods, it doesn’t mean there won’t be rule breakers,” Hux said. “As for Millicent, you won’t have a choice. She will not be forced from my side and she has maimed a handful of my subordinates for less.”

Honestly, this man’s nerve. Of course, he personally did not order torture; there were better ways to get what they wanted than to use such methods, but unfortunately some took matters into their own hands.

Poe laughed softly and said, “Ah, so she’s a faithful lady, then. You’re a lucky man, Gingernuts. Not everybody can say they have such a classy lady.” He knew he would be trying his luck with the pretty kitty later, though, if only to annoy the other man. The expression the other man would make if his cat turned out to like Poe would be priceless.

“As for your treatment, I’ll vouch for my people and the Resistance as a whole. The Order doesn’t even pretend to treat prisoners with any kind of decency, so I’m not sure why even if there were a few bad folks among the Resistance you’d have anything to crow about. And still much less to worry about than if our positions were reversed. Kriff, you’d have left me to die.” 

BB-8 made an indignant series of beeps and whistles.

“Nope, we’re not like them, buddy. That’s why we do what we do.”

Hux pursed his lips. "Quit calling me ginger nuts!" He didn't quite shout, but he wanted to.

"The First Order rarely takes prisoners. You were unlucky enough to have information that Ren wanted," Hux scoffed. “I had no input into his idiotic campaign.”

"You're one of the ones who took down the base; getting caught in that would have been your fault. I would have been back on the Finaliser if you hadn't blown my last escape ship," Hux said, bitterness in his tone. He didn't mention, of course, that he would have escaped fine if Millicent hadn't been on the base. He didn’t need the rebel to know anymore than he did already.

Poe laughed softly at the indignant response and said, “Well, maybe if you gave me your real name, I wouldn’t have to make up names for you instead.” Though he wouldn’t recommend the other man hold his breath. Using nicknames was like breathing for Poe. “And I could have called you something much more inappropriate.”

“Oh, so you’re saying I could have been dead instead,” Poe said with a shake of his head. “Most kind.” His voice was still choked with laughter at the other man’s responses. “And you’re the ones who escalated the whole affair by building that monstrosity. It’s not my fault that you’re having to pay for that now. And you’ve still got your girl, so quit your complaining. She’s better behaved than you are.”

He looked over his readings, noting they were all in the normal range (though BB-8 would have alerted him if they were not). They still had a few hours before arriving, so he said, “If you’re not going to tell me your name and you don’t like Gingernuts, I’ll just have to come up with something else to call you. Honeybunch? Pastyface?”

"Huxley is my name. If you're convinced it's not, then by all means, what is it?" Hux said. He didn’t understand how the other man had any inkling that he was lying; even if he was Force-sensitive, Hux was closed-off. This man was infuriating.

"Torture is far worse than death," Hux said. "We are at war, Dameron, one does not win wars with whatever flowery nonsense that you prefer."

"Just call me Huxley. Those names are revolting," Hux growled.

Poe snickered at the growls and said, “You can’t even say it without a stutter, Gingernuts. It’s totally not your name. Whereas, Millicent is completely her name. You address her like the princess she is. Which is totally sweet. You’re kind of soft on your fuzzball.” He nodded a few times.

“And torture is not worse than death. You can survive torture and fight another day. Like I did. I even got to blow up your base. Couldn’t do that dead.” Poe’s face when serious, mouth a grim line. “It’s not flowery nonsense to be ethical even in times of war, Pastyface. It’s what’s right. The Republic lasted for a thousand years of peace doing what was right, until they lost touch with some of it. How long did the Empire manage? We won’t even let the Order get that far.”

“Yet it is still a name I wish to go by,” Hux said. He was quite sure the man just wanted an excuse to call him that dreadful nickname. He pursed his lips. He wasn’t going to talk about Millicent to common rebel filth like him.

“I suppose it is a matter of perspective,” Hux said.

“You are awfully optimistic for someone who has so carelessly taken in a First Order officer, not knowing what he could be carrying. If you were one of mine, you would receive a severe reprimand for such careless behaviour. Did you stop to think that I might have a tracker on me? Explosives? I could be any number of traps the First Order concocts,” Hux said. “And you picked me up because of your love of cats.”

Too bad he had none of those, but if he got to mess with Dameron’s mind, then it was a win.

“A trap? Come on, Gingernuts. You were running frantically and aimlessly through the snow carrying a cat on a planet about to explode. That would be the most random trap ever. Not to mention way beyond the creativity of any First Order mind.” 

“And sure, I thought about the risks of picking you up, but I decided it was worth them to not leave someone behind who cared so much about a cat, his cat, that he was fleeing through the snow uselessly with her,” Poe said. “Because somebody who can care that much about a ball of fur is not a completely lost cause. Besides, if I’m going to be a member of the Resistance, I have to live up to those ideals and not worry about the lack of them on the other side.”

Poe shot another glance in the panels above his head, catching another glance at the other man’s reflection. “You’re awful mouthy for someone who owes me his life. I guess that’s a concept outside of First Order bounds, huh? Honor?” 

Dameron was right, of course, but he had been hoping to rile him up some. This man was beyond reckless, though it was sadly the truth that he had shot any chance of threatening potential harm since an explosive or trap would just kill Millicent and such a trap of him running in the snow relied on the chance of a pilot having mercy.

“Sure, most of it is moot, but planned or not, trackers are in common usage in the First Order…” Hux said. Not on him, regretfully.

His eyes trailed up to the ceiling, not that there was much to see, at Dameron’s words. “I’ve not stabbed you for your idiotic name-calling, I think the debt is paid,” Hux said.

“When is this tin can getting back to this base of yours?” He asked.

“You’re just lucky Millicent is cute enough to make up for your lack of a sparkling personality, Gingernuts,” Poe said. “Seriously, calling my baby a tin can. I ought to have BB-8 shock your ass for that.”

BB-8 made a series of what were probably meant to be intimidating noises.

“This tin can has taken down a record number of your TIE-fighters, not to mention quite a few other vessels.” Poe patted her fondly, before shooting Hux another glare in the panel. 

“And stabbing me while I’m flying...brilliant plan. You actually get paid for those ideas?”

Poe always took insults to his ship a bit too personally.

BB-8 made another noise, more trill this time.

“You’re right, buddy,” Poe said. “Millie deserves a better prince.”

BB-8 blew a long, low whistle (like a raspberry), since that’s not what he’d said at all.

Hux snorted. “From what little I can see, your ship could do with much maintenance or a complete refurbishment,” he said. He fingered a panel, opening it before closing it. “This panel alone needs a good tuning; it’s losing you 33% speed. It’s so noisy and bumpy. I could build a better ship in my sleep.”

“I get paid for all of my ideas,” Hux said.

“Millicent. At least have the decency to address her by her rightful name,” Hux spat. “And you did not answer my question: How long are we stuck in this poorly engineered tin can?”

If Dameron was going to insist on using his idiotic nicknames, he would insist on continuing to insult his awful ship.

Poe noted the panel indicated and the certain and intelligent way his guest talked about the ship. He grinned again, sly this time. “Well, Gingernuts, guess we know how you’ll be repaying me for saving your life after all. Think my ship needs a couple of refurbs, do you? Well, you can help me give her one. Help me in that you do it, while I supervise to make sure you do it right.” He winked at the other man. “Thank you for the offer. That is very generous of you. I might think you have some honor in you after all.”

He snickered again at the violent reaction to the ‘insult’ to his cat. “I keep making jokes about her being your best girl, but she really is, isn’t she? The way you carry on, you’d think she was a virgin princess in need of having her honor defended, not the warrior queen you mentioned before.”

“And we’re a ways out still. Why? You forget to go before we left? That’s just bad planning, Gingernuts. I don’t have a spare catheter for you.”

“Surely you are not foolish enough to let a loyal First Order officer work on your ship?” Hux said, sighing in exasperation. “It is pure dumb luck that you took down Starkiller; your naivety is exhausting.”

Hux grimaced. “I simply do not care for pet names,” he said. “Nor does she. She is a warrior queen, her virtue has nothing to do with it.”

“I simply tire of being trapped in this small space with an annoying pilot,” Hux shot back.

Maybe Millicent would understand if he stabbed the guy and they all died. At least they would be heroes.

“You act like I don’t know my own ship, Gingernuts,” Poe said. “I’ll be right there to make sure you treat her right and fix her up. Any sabotage would be foolish. And uptight, obnoxious, and irritable you really, really are, but foolish doesn’t strike me as your flaw. Bounding through the snow with a warrior queen in your arms notwithstanding.” He could use big words when he wanted.

“Millie. Furball. Cutiepie. Fuzzybutt.” Poe recited each one with glee. “I think she likes them just fine. And I could always space you and keep her, if you’re really getting tired of being here.”

“You underestimate my abilities, Dameron. I’ve been working with technology and creating new designs for years, likely while you were jumping in mud piles,” Hux said. “Hmph. I ran in the hopes of one of my own picking me up.” A half-truth. Most people were replaceable.

“Millicent is clutching me too tightly for you to disengage her, so good luck with that,” he snorted.

He stroked her, trying to calm her poor nerves. If she wasn’t so worked up right now, she wouldn’t take kindly to the nicknames either.

“Saved by your cat,” Poe said with vast amusement. In fact, he was finding this entire conversation far too enjoyable for his own good. There was something hilarious about his companion, snark and all. “I don’t know about underestimating your technological capabilities, Gingernuts, but I totally was unaware of your ability to make me laugh. You have that nailed. Please, keep talking, so I can keep laughing. It’ll make the time pass faster until I can get us to my dirty Rebel scum base.”

He couldn’t turn much in his seat, strapped in as he was, so he settled for smirking at the reflection again.

“You laugh now, but it will only make the shame worse when you realise what a mistake you’ve made,” Hux spat. He would put this to advantage, one way or another. He would find a way to return to the First Order and use whatever information he finds to his advantage.

Hux knew the pilot was making fun of him and he grit his teeth. “Then perhaps I will have my own amusement by no longer talking,” he said.

Millicent shifted so that she could curl up in his lap.

“Oh are you going to do something else?” Poe asked, waggling his eyebrows. “Because I would find that entertaining, too. You’re really not too bad looking for someone who wears a permanent sneer. In fact, you’re rather attractive in a never-seen-the-sun kind of way.” He reached one hand cautiously backward in the direction of Millicent, curious for her response.

Stabbing the man would not be wise, he kept reminding himself. It was far too tempting and he certainly had plenty of knives on him. However, he knew once he was at the pilot's base, his blaster would be taken from him and his knives would be if he showed his hand now.

He had to play it smart.

Dameron started insulting his intelligence by feeding him false niceties about finding him attractive. Yet, he still felt his ears warm. Treacherous body. He remained firmly silent, though he spotted the man's hand reaching towards his tabby.

"I wouldn't do that---" Hux started, but then Millicent leant up to sniff the foreign fingers and butted them.

“Well, hello, darling,” Poe crooned, all honey. “You are a lovely queen, aren’t you?” Even backward and at a strange angle, his fingers were talented where they stroked and caressed soft fur. “See, Gingernuts, Millicent knows how to act like a lady and show a little thanks to the pilot who saved her life. And you don’t have to worry about her, either. She can stay with me if needed and you’ll know she’ll be happy and safe.”

“Course, I might be willing to take care of you, too, if you’re willing to play nice.”

Hux watched his cat betray him, though he supposed it could be worse. It could be Ren she rubbed against. Thankfully, she didn’t like him either. Millicent moved to get better access to Dameron’s attention, purring.

Hux clenched his teeth, wishing he wasn’t in this x-wing right now, that he could stretch. Would they take her from him, regardless of what he wanted?

He looked back towards where Dameron’s head was with a frown. “What does that mean? I know very well that I am a prisoner, Dameron, so I know very well that it is either a cell or the block for me,” Hux spat.

“Doesn’t have to be, is what I’m saying,” Poe said calmly. “This can have a happy ending for everyone, you included, if you’re willing to be reasonable.” He was very carefully flying with one hand, giving Millicent due affection with another, and carrying on the conversation with Hux, while trying to look into his eyes (via the reflections in the hatch) appealingly. “There’s always other alternatives, if you’re willing to entertain them. Come on, Gingernuts.”

He really did want to give the other guy a chance, even if he was acting like a bit of an asshole. That was somewhat understandable, since he was being hauled off to an unknown fate. And his beloved cat was cavorting with the rebel scum quite happily.

Hux found himself looking up, seeing Dameron’s eyes there and tried to muster a glare. The guy sounded genuine, though he didn’t have the full scope, only his voice to go on. Hux couldn’t detect a lie from his voice. “Surely you can’t be serious, Dameron; I am part of the First Order and you might be Commander, but the higher ranks have the final say. Well, unless you’re a Force-wielding lunatic,” Hux muttered the last part.

He only seemed to get more heated by the stupid nickname. “Hux! That is General Hux to you, not that inane nickname!” He spat, finally snapping. He’d played his name, but it didn’t matter at this point. There was no point hiding it. He started fidgeting, uncomfortable in his seat, which made Millicent grumpy and move onto Poe’s lap.

He dropped his face into his hands. This wasn’t how today was supposed to go.


	2. Kindness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe brings Hux back to the Resistance and Hux is surprised at their handling of him, a valuable prisoner. Certainly nothing like how the Order handles them.

“General Hux,” Poe said with quiet glee, even as Millicent made his day complete by deciding he was the better candidate for lapsitting. He greeted her with even sweeter petting, fingers finding all of her happy spots. “Well, welcome to the Resistance, General Hux. We’re a lot better than the First Order in every way, as your lovely lady is finding out. Don’t you want to be more like her, Armitage? All stretched out and getting the best handling of her life?” He was purring as much as she was by the end.

And now he most definitely regretted it. Oh well. Hux was most definitely confused, annoyed and exhausted, all at once. He couldn’t understand why this man was convinced he would join the Resistance, that they could trust him. Millicent, however, seemed to like him, which was puzzling. Millicent didn’t like anyone.

He bent over, determined to keep himself from breaking. “And why would you want me on your side? How would you know if you could trust me? I can quite easily stab you in the back or any other amount of ways to kill you, I can think of many,” Hux spat.

Millicent just rolled in Poe’s lap as if knowing that her human was being overdramatic.

Hux glared up at the reflection showing Poe’s face in suspicion. “You’ll keep your hands to yourself,” he hissed.

“I think Millicent proves that my hands are best put to good use,” Poe teased, even as he carefully gave her a belly rub and tender scritches. “As does my piloting.” He had one hand on the controls, as always.

“Why wouldn’t I want you on my side, Armie? Armie? Nah. Anyway, why wouldn’t I? You’re a General. I’m sure that means you’re a useful sort. And you’ve already bragged about your engineering expertise. Sounds like a good person to have on my side. And I’m willing to bribe you. I think you’ll find pretty quickly that stabbing me would be a terrible waste, just like locking you away forever would.”

Hux curled his lip. “How would I know why Millicent suddenly likes someone else’s touches?” He said, trying to both refrain from insulting her intelligence and yet keep his own intact. He could never hate her, though he was rather disappointed right now.

“No, indeed. Your need to infantilize my name leaves much to be desired,” Hux said. He snorted. “You would have seen my expertise first-hand if you’d have given it a chance.” His voice was dark. “Bribe me with what? You’ll find that I’m not easily bought.”

“That’s what you said about Millicent, Hugs,” Poe said and then brightened. “Yes, Hugs, perfect. And that’s what I’ll bribe you with, too. Hugs. Lots of them. And maybe a few kisses, too. Who knows? You might be worth it.” He looked down at Millicent. “Is he worth it, sweetheart? I bet he is. He’s hiding a core of mush behind that prickly exterior. That’s how he’s got a girl like you.”

Now the man was really teasing him, yet he felt his own cheeks betray him by shining as red as they were warm. He really wanted to stab him now.

“What the hell are you wittering on about?! I am the General of your opposing side; you don’t make any sense at all!” Hux hissed, confused...annoyed because this man was feeding him obvious lies to try and break him.

“Damn, Hugs, you need to calm down before you have a stroke. This is not a good place to keel over, cause I can’t help you and BB-8’s version of help is to send an electric charge through your seat.”

The astromech made a loud, rude noise.

“Yes, I know it was only one time, buddy, but you set my pants on fire and knocked me out cold.” Poe didn’t care who heard these kinds of embarrassing things about him, unlike a certain ginger-haired General he was just getting to know.

“Seriously, Hugs, deep, slow breaths. Your color cannot be healthy. I’ve never seen anything outside of a Tongafruit so puce before.”

Hux glared at him. “How do you know that it would not be preferable to this?” He asked. If they were in a more spacious ship, then no, he would most definitely want his wits about him. But in a claustrophobic tin can such as this, he couldn’t avoid the other man. At all. Yet he still remained red.

Then his face twitched as he forced down involuntary amusement over the idea of Dameron’s pants catching fire.

“I am perfectly fine; it is simply too hot in this tin can,” Hux muttered.

“More air flow,” Poe said and flicked a couple of switches, sending some additional air into the ship. 

There was a beep from his panel, and he turned his focus to the ship for a moment, though one hand still made sure to give Millicent her due attention. He made a few adjustments and said, “A little over fifteen minutes out now, Hugs. So, have you made up your mind? You want me in your corner or would you prefer that I just hand you over to General Organa?”

Hux didn’t know what he wanted; what did it matter? He doubted Organa was going to be as lenient as Dameron anticipated. She was still a higher rank, after all. He sighed.

“And why is it that you wish to help me? That is what I do not understand. I cannot see any use for me co-operating when your General can simply take what she wants, assuming she is like her son,” Hux said. Just thinking about Ren made him want to take hold of one of his knives. “She could take what she wants and then have less issues with me dead. Why do you think your Resistance will want me to co-operate?”

Of course, to him, it was all about efficiency; that was how the First Order worked.

“Hugs, buddy, the whole reason we’re fighting against the First Order is because we’re not like the First Order and we don’t want to be like the First Order,” Poe said firmly. “General Organa would never do to you what Ren did to me. That’s not who we are and not who we want to be. That’s kriffing torture, and it’s not the way anyone should act. Not what’s going to happen to you, Hugs. We’re not just going to execute you, either.” 

He looked back down at Millicent, who looked completely blissed out in his lap. “Don’t worry, little lady, we’re not just going to kill your idiot person. I mean, does he really think I saved his skinny ass from that planet just to see him executed? How dumb is he?”

“And you can guarantee that?” Hux asked quietly. He might have been on the same side as Ren, but honestly if he had the chance, he’d push the sith apprentice into the nearest black hole. Hux exhaled. “What if I don’t want to betray everything I’ve ever known? What will you do then?” He was tired and he wasn’t able to hide it. He couldn’t help but curl in on himself.

Millicent mewed, butting his chest before squeezing through again to slide against Hux, knowing he needed comfort.

“It wouldn’t be dumb; the Republic would prefer to be able to humiliate a member of the First Order in execution,” Hux muttered.

“Yes,” Poe said fiercely. “If I can’t, then I don’t want any part of either side. And we can work on what you’re willing to say. I think you might find that you like what being outside the First Order gives you...even if you were a General.” He noted how Millicent returned to Hux with a little smile. “Like I said, anyone who has the love of such an amazing lady can’t be all bad.” 

He straightened as his instruments indicated they were almost there. “We’re coming out of hyperspace. Hold on.”

Hux thought it over. He couldn’t really understand why the other man was doing this, but he supposed there were worse options.

“...Very well. I won’t promise anything, but I will at least give you a chance...there aren’t exactly any better options,” Hux said.

He was well and truly trapped, so unless he got lucky, he was stuck with the Resistance. Better to be on good terms than not. He sat back, holding Millicent to him. Millicent yowled as they came out of hyperspace; she wasn’t fond of these changes either.

“Aww, girl, don’t howl,” Poe soothed. “I’ll take care of this.” He took the controls and easily guided them toward the moon the Resistance currently based on. “I’m the best pilot there is.” He said that with pride, but not real ego. 

“Commander Poe Dameron to base,” he signaled. “Coming in now. I’ve got a guest with me. General Hux of the First Order.”

There was a long pause on the other side, before Kaydel answered cautiously, “Base to Dameron. Understood. Are you well?”

“Affirmative. The four of us are doing fine.”

There was another long pause, before General Organa’s voice came over the comm. “Did you say General Hux? And four of you?”

“Affirmative,” Dameron said cheerfully. “Hux, his lady Millicent, BB-8 and me.”

“His lady?” Kaydel asked, obviously unable to help herself.

“His cat, Millie,” Poe said, and BB-8 razzed him for everything.

Hux winced listening to the conversation; he supposed giving them a head’s up was better than surprising them. He didn’t much fancy nearly getting blasted or whatever other reaction there would likely be. Yelling, cursing, he didn’t care to continue.

There was going to be a fuss no matter what he did, which he didn’t look forward to. He was exhausted; he wondered whether he would be allowed to sleep...though he wasn’t sure he’d feel comfortable sleeping around what was still very much the enemy ground. No doubt there would be plenty willing to go against orders and attempt to kill him.

“Millicent,” he corrected, pinching his nose.

“Millicent,” General Organa parroted in a dry, dry tone.

“Millicent,” Poe agreed, piloting them smoothly into the atmosphere and heading for his landing pad. He took them in and set the X-wing down so smoothly it wasn’t even felt. “See, I’ll take care of you.”

He glanced back at Hux. “Will she stay with you when I open this up? She won’t be scared and try to run? I could get you something to carry her in.”

Hux wasn’t sure he wanted to boost the other man’s ego by agreeing that he did indeed pilot well, instead he chose to stay silent.

At the mention of taking care of him, Hux wondered why the other man was so invested, if indeed he wasn’t lying. It could be a trap, though he begrudgingly felt that maybe it wasn’t. Millicent never took to other people.

“No, she will stay in my arms; this space is small enough as is, any smaller and she will stress out,” Hux said.

“We’ll be outside in a moment,” Poe reminded him softly. “Hold on to her tightly.” He unlatched the hatch and opened it, before hauling himself out of the cockpit and bouncing to the ground. He waved at the group that was coming to meet them, noting General Organa leading them. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”

He looked up and called, “You coming, Hugs? Be careful on the ladder. Don’t drop Millie...or fall.”

Hux didn’t move straight away, still not completely certain there wouldn’t be someone who would try to shoot him on sight. At Poe’s question, he grunted.

“I haven’t quite decided...I’ll likely be safer in here,” he said. But he was not a coward. At least, he told himself that.

“Hold on tight, Millicent,” Hux murmured softly to her and she dug her claws in as he climbed down very slowly, his heart rate speeding up. What he wouldn’t give to be back in his quarters on the Finaliser right now. He wished he’d left Millicent there, then he’d have been on a ship out of Starkiller base.

As it was, he found himself stood close to the pilot, clutching his cat who was looking at the approaching people far fiercer than her human.

Poe lifted a hand in greeting, even as the General came to a stop some twenty feet or so away. He approached without hesitation and gave a smart salute.

“General Organa, Commander Dameron reporting back from the destruction of the Starkiller Base. And may I introduce the man I saved from the planet’s surface. This is former General of the First Order Hugs...Hux.” He tipped a wink at the ginger. “And his lovely lady, Millicent.”

Leia gave Poe a long, unreadable look. “Only you, Poe Dameron, could manage to be so infuriating and unprofessional while simultaneously being single-handedly responsible for firing the killing shots to an enemy superweapon and capturing one of their most important Generals.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Poe responded.

She blinked at him a few times, before turning her attention to Hux. “General Armitage Hux, I do not want this to be unpleasant between us,” she said. “You are a prisoner of the Resistance, but it appears Commander Dameron saved your life. And has taken the proverbial shine to you, as is his way. Tell me, what would you have me do with you?”

Hux grimaced as he listened to Dameron talk. He wouldn’t have lasted very long if he was a Commander in his army, that was certain, yet Organa appeared to only be mildly irritated with him. He could also tell there was some fondness for the idiot she had dubbed Commander, so there was that too.

He couldn’t help but straighten and keep his face neutral as Organa addressed him directly.

“That depends upon what you decide to do,” Hux said. “Dameron seems convinced that you won’t try to use the Force upon me or use torture, but forgive me if I am not so blindly believing in the best of others.”

“As you said, I am your prisoner. You will try to gather information from me while I will remain stubbornly loyal to my people,” Hux said.

Leia’s face flattened in a combination of grim and sympathetic. “I would never use the Force in that way,” she said softly. “I know that is not the way in the First Order-” she glanced at Poe quickly, remembering how her own son had torn into his mind with his powers “-but it is here. However, that is not what I meant, General.” She looked at the cat held close in his arms. “We will ask you for information, as we must. And for now, I believe you will not tell us. But how would you expect to be treated otherwise?”

Poe watched Hux, wanted to signal him, but forced his body to be still. His face, however, was mobile and attempting to convey his desire for Hux not to be a complete jerk.

Hux grimaced; honestly, if he had his way and he was the Supreme Leader, the likes of Ren would be snuffed out. It was an extremely unfair power imbalance and he had to put up with it...and its rage. “The Supreme Leader and Ren used it as they saw fit. It’s never really been in my favour,” Hux said, somewhere between his usual stiffness and yet bitterness.

He looked between Dameron and Organa. “I honestly have no idea how you treat your prisoners. Then there is the Republic, who I’m sure would want such a high profile personage such as myself,” Hux said. “Dameron isn’t really a good indicator of how this will go; he seems awfully too cheery about it.” It wasn’t exactly harsh, if anything, it was almost teasing.

Leia glanced between them and said slowly, “Yes. Commander Dameron, I am placing you in charge of our guest.” She extended her fingers and called from him all of his weapons, including all of his hidden knives. These she floated over to be collected by another Resistance member. “With a few restrictions, of course.”

Hux froze up and couldn’t help but lament as his blaster and six knives were relinquished from him. He felt naked now, more uncomfortable than he was before. He was also surprised. No cuffs? Armed guard? Sure, on his own, he was practically useless now, but his cat wasn’t (and he certainly wasn’t going to tell them that). Though he didn’t find himself wanting to do anything.

Hux swallowed. “Very well,” he said. Not that he really had any other choice; he was their prisoner, even if he wasn’t currently in chains.

“We’ll outfit you with a tracker, give you a different set of clothes, and make sure you’re watched at all times, as well,” Leia said. “Does your feline require any particular care?” She gestured to the animal clinging tightly to the man. In truth, she found that rather softened her heart toward the redhead, as well.

Poe was openly grinning again, pleased by this result. He thought he could sway the other man away from the First Order, no matter his thoughts on the matter now.

Hux nodded. “When you say ‘at all times’...does that include bathroom usage?” Hux asked. Regardless of her answer, though, it was miles ‘kinder’ than the First Order.

Although, he personally didn’t care for torture, but he wasn’t exactly kind either.

“Not particularly; she eats unprocessed meat, if possible, or she can hunt herself on planetside,” Hux said. “I can share my rations with her, if needed.” He shrugged.

He narrowed his eyes at Dameron’s glee. What exactly was he up to?

Leia chuckled and said, “I am sure you and Commander Dameron will work out the details. I do not need to know all of the particulars. Just that you’re not causing problems.” Her eyes glanced back to Poe again, narrowing slightly. “More than usual.” Her eyes rolled almost against her will. “We’ll make sure your cat...Amabelle…is provided for.” She gestured to Poe. “Commander Dameron, please escort Mr. Hux to where he’ll be staying and then report back with him to the command center.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Poe said and moved to clap a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, Hugs, I’ll show you our quarters.”


	3. Tenderness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe starts to get Hux comfortable in his new life, though of course, Hux is anything but co-operative.

Hux relaxed a little. It was certainly unorthodox, but it could be far worse. Certainly, those in the First Order never took prisoners like this, except for more vulgar purposes that he actually never approved of. He muttered the correction of the name just on instinct at this point as his mind was racing. He thought back to their conversation. The flirty tone. Wait, _our_ quarters?

But Organa had just said they don’t do anything like torture here, so it couldn’t be anything like _that_.

“We’re sharing?” He muttered. He was trying to fish for information.

“In a sense,” Poe said with a grin. “You don’t need to sleep in the same bed as I am, but you’ll be in the top bunk. It’ll be a good way for me to keep an eye on you. But Millie will have the freedom to roam my room and have her own spot. We’ll need to snag her a litterbox and a bed, hmmm?” He grinned at the cat in Hux’s arms. “And I told you there wouldn’t be torture. We’d like to know some stuff, but we’re not going to hurt you for it. In return, I’d just ask you to give us a chance. Have an open mind, Hugs.”

Hux sighed. "You do realise I am surrounded by many who hate me, yes? It is quite reasonable to be wary," he replied. "As it is, I have little choice anyway."

"However, you will find it is Millicent's room." He didn't even mean to make something of a joke, it simply slipped out. He stepped into the room after Dameron, putting Millicent down so that she could explore.

“Wary, sure,” Poe said, watching Millicent instantly begin to explore the room. He smiled and began to strip off the exterior pieces of his flight suit. “Do you need the fresher?” He set them on his side table, before moving to the closet to snag a new undershirt. Without any sense of shame, he peeled the top of his flight suit down to let it hang at his waist. He then removed his undershirt, before stretching out his torso, muscles flexing. “Or anything else before we report back to General Organa? Maybe something for Millie to eat.” He knelt and extended a hand toward her, allowing her to approach if she wanted.

“I suppose I could do with freshening up,” Hux admitted. He also realised he had no fresh clothes, either. He’d lost his hat in the snow and it didn’t seem like he needed his great coat, but he would keep it on anyway, because he was stubborn like that. He was trying very hard not to look at Dameron as he changed, but his eyes kept looking.

“Well, she can hunt for herself if we’re in a good terrain,” Hux said.

Millicent was poking at a box before she came to boop Dameron.

“Go ahead. We’ll have to fetch you some personal supplies from the commissary when we’re done talking to General Organa,” Poe said as he gently stroked Millicent. “But I’m not sure about the wildlife around here. We wouldn’t want her to get eaten. So, we’ll get her food and some other essentials.” 

He stood back up and stretched again with a sigh, before heading to grab a new shirt. “We best hurry up. Sooner we can get the check-in done, the sooner we can get you settled.”

Hux nodded before stepping into the fresher and locking it. He was quick and efficient before drying off and getting back into his clothes. At least he wasn’t sweating. He stole a little hair stuff to keep his hair slicked back. It was the least he could do to keep himself comfortable.

When he emerged, he nodded to him. Better to get this over with. He kept his coat on for comfort.

Poe was seated on the floor crooning at Millicent by this point, but stood up fairly quickly when Hux emerged. He grinned at the other man and said, “I see you got into the hair products,” with a tease in his voice. “I knew I had that stuff for a reason.” He combed back his own unruly curls with his fingers. “Just give me a minute.” He went into the fresher to wash his own face and hands and give his neck a quick scrub. “Ready.”

He headed into the base and led Hux easily through the halls toward the main briefing room. They were there in about ten minutes, and Poe led Hux inside, where General Organa and a few of her top advisers were waiting. He gently urged him into a chair and took one himself.

“I like to look presentable at all times, especially when I am out of my comfort zone,” Hux said.

He walked with him silently, choosing to ignore anyone who stared at them or him. He was sure there was going to be a lot of talk around here and he didn’t want to stop to hear it. He looked at each of the people inside the room and followed Dameron. He sat tentatively, as if the chair might explode if he sat in it too quickly. He wasn’t sure what to expect.

General Organa looked at him and said, “We’ll get to you in a moment, General Hux.” She turned instead to Poe and fired off a series of questions to him about the mission, starting with the actual destruction of the base and leading up to saving Hux. On that point, she got extremely focused, seeming to get a little peeved when Poe answered everything cheerfully and without any hint of regret.

Finally, she turned to Hux with laser focus. “It seems, General, that you have a champion in my Commander. Care to explain that?”

Hux listened to Organa question Dameron and he had to stifle the urge to chastise him. She was far too lenient on him; it was why he was so nonchalant and rude. Subordinates should be properly trained and his expression was barely disguised annoyance. When she turned to him, he straightened (not that he was actually slouched).

“You wish for me to tell you why your rebellious pilot has broken protocol and taken some sort of interest in a high profile prisoner? I think your guess would be better than mine, for you have known him longer. My troopers would never be this insubordinate,” Hux said, with all the air of a General. Not that he had any ranking here, but it was his nature.

“Apparently he can’t leave well alone and let a cat die,” Hux said.

Poe shook with laughter on his seat near Hux, though he kept the actual laughs silent.

Leia’s lips quirked at the edges, too, though she remained professional. “So you’re saying he showed you undue mercy. Yes, I can see that.” Her eyes darted to Poe again, noting that he was still enjoying himself. “And you’re lucky he does show interest in you, General. Without that interest, you’d be dead, along with your cat. I don’t think you’d prefer that. Perhaps being rebellious has its advantages.”

Hux gave a dainty shrug. “It is not what my people would have done. For instance, Dameron is lucky that I do not actually have a tracker upon my person,” Hux said. “Hardly merciful. Yes, for my cat, but not for me. I expected torture and/or mind fuckery, then public execution. Of course, I’m under no illusion that the latter is off the table. In those cases, dying with Starkiller would have been far more merciful.”

“That is fortunate,” Leia commented and shot Poe a look, but he gave his own shrug this time. 

“I couldn’t leave the guy and his cat out there to die,” he admitted.

“So, yes, undue mercy,” Leia said. “I’m sure Commander Dameron has told you that we’re not the First Order and we don’t torture people in any fashion. We have no plans to publically execute you either. And I’m not sure why a man portrayed as one of the leading figures of the First Order, brain-wise, would decide to bring up any of those possibilities to an enemy General. Are you insinuating that we should do those things?”

“I bring them up to read the room; I prefer to see as many cards laid out on the table as I can,” Hux said. “I find it is better to be wrong in my assumptions than unpleasantly taken by surprise.”

He was still a little surprised, though, as Dameron’s words seemed to be truthful. He wasn’t in a cell, he wasn’t being tortured (with or without the Force) and he wasn’t even in chains.

He was not used to this.

Leia said, “And I suppose you won’t volunteer any information on the First Order at this time,” even as she picked up an anklet device from the table and handed it to Poe. “I would appreciate anything you tell us, but we won’t force you. Later, we’ll do a more formal interrogation, but again, we don’t torture people. Or drug them. We _rebel scum_ leave that kind of dirty work to you.”

Poe flashed the anklet at Hux, winked and gestured for him to remove his left boot.

Hux knew many thought him dull, but he considered himself to have a particular sense of humour. He just didn’t waste it on just anyone.

“I suppose I could offer a few things,” he said, sighing as if it was a great burden. “It was to be Taco Tuesday, though I opt for trout and vegetables instead; much tidier, you understand. Of course, I’m missing that now.”

He spoke with a completely straight face.

He stared Poe down, but sighed and shifted, pulling his foot out of his boot. Considering he wasn’t in chains, he’d co-operate at least in this way.

Leia just arched one perfect eyebrow and said, “Another comedian. Perfect. Commander Dameron, I believe you know how to handle our new guest. Mr. Hux, we will be speaking again. Dismissed.”

Poe patted Hux’s new fashion accessory and said, “There you go, Hugs. All set. Come on, we’ll get you and Millie something to eat. And then talk about your new duties.” He hopped up with a salute for Leia, who just pinned him with a look and an indulgent shake of her head.

Hux looked at Dameron with an arched brow.

“...Duties? Why would I have duties?” Hux questioned.

Dameron had to know that it would be a bad idea, whatever it was. He slipped his foot back into his boot and reluctantly stood up.

“Because you’re going to be useful,” Poe said. “And if you can’t be trusted to be useful doing something you’re good at and love, like engineering or maintenance, we’ll have you sweep out the halls and wash the walls by hand. Be nice to have a regular maid service. And you’d look good in the outfit.”

Leia covered a laugh with her hand, not really wanting to encourage Poe, but finding him impossibly charming just the same.

Hux gave him a look that said _Not a chance_.

“I think I would be better suited engineering a droid that would be capable of both cleaning that pit you call a room while simultaneously keeping you quiet, Dameron,” Hux said.

He would _not_ be made to clean. He hadn’t endured years of torment from his father, risen in the ranks, only to be made to work in sanitation.

“See, that would be useful,” Poe said, pointing a finger at Hux. “And if you really think my room is a pit, I’ll lay heavy odds that you’ll end up cleaning it despite yourself...you’re that type.” He grinned and gestured for Hux to follow him. “C’mon, we both need to eat. And you need the tour of the places you will be working.” He headed into the corridor and for the Main Mess. “So, tell me now if you’ve lived your whole life on First Order food or if you’re actually aware of the variety of foods available in the galaxy.”

“And you will keep messing it up deliberately. I know your type, Dameron,” Hux sighed. He started following him. “I think you are highly optimistic if you think I will work.” He noticed the stares/glares and gave them right back.

“I have eaten plenty of different types of food; I am partial to seafood and the richest steaks,” Hux said. “Which I doubt your lot can afford. You might be able to scrounge enough for some fake King Prawn linguine, but I can tell the difference.”

Poe rotated on his toes and looked over Hux as he nimbly walked backward. “You’re partial to the richest steaks?” he asked dubiously. “Do you get a morsel each meal or something? Cause you look like you’ve existed solely on the concentrated mush I know the First Order feeds the troopers...and maybe like a quarter packet of that a day.”

“And I know your type, Hugsy,” Poe echoed. “A couple of days with nothing to do, and you’ll start going mad and pulling out all your hair. Which would be a shame cause it’s nice hair...even slathered back with a pound of product.”

Hux narrowed his eyes at him. “I suppose you are joking about my size,” he spat. “I eat perfectly healthy, thank you very much.”

“Perhaps I will simply resort to barking orders at you until you follow them,” he said.

Not that he expected the other man to follow orders; he barely seemed capable of managing his own General’s orders.

“Your size?” Poe asked, with a drop of his eyes to Hux’s groin and then back up. “Noooo. Not your size, Hugs. I rather like your size. But your waist is a bit, well, narrow. If you do eat healthy, it’s only when you remember to eat. While you’re here, you’ll eat on a regular schedule, no excuses. Three meals a day with proper nutrition. And a special helping of fake King Prawn linguine now and then, as a treat.” He steered Hux into the mess and to the buffet area. “See? Choices!”

“And we can discuss our kinks later, Hugs. I mean...there are some orders I might be willing to obey.”

“You know nothing about me, Dameron; those from Arkanis don’t put on weight well,” Hux said. “Mind your own business.” His cheeks did tint a little pink at Dameron’s gaze dropping.

Hux pursed his lips as Dameron forced him into the loud canteen, which he instantly hated. It was chaotic and beneath him.

“I don’t have kinks,” Hux said. He almost wished to be a bunch of atoms right now; it’d be more peaceful.

“I know you’re from Arkanis,” Poe said happily and began the difficult process of choosing what he wanted to eat. He was always careful not to overindulge, as tempting as it could be sometimes. He hated to think of himself as vain, but well…

He glanced over at Hux when he declared himself kink-free and looked him up and down slowly. “Sure,” he said, dragging the word out. “Maybe you haven’t had a chance to explore them, but I guarantee you’ve got kinks, Hugsy. Now, get something to eat.”

Hux looked at the selection with disdain. He didn’t really care for buffets. “I have been too busy working to care about such trivial matters. Perhaps the Resistance wouldn’t be losing the battle if they had less horny soldiers on their side,” Hux said.

He ended up selecting a risotto and some garlic bread.

Poe couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of him at that statement. “First, Hugs, we’re not losing just yet. And second, less horny soldiers? You mean artificially neutered ones? Is that what happened to you? What a shame.” He herded Hux to a table and took a seat across from him. “You aren’t on any repressors, are you? Those are really not good for a person, Hugs.”

Hux sat down, fighting the urge to either pinch the bridge of his nose or simply punch the man, but he’d already spotted many blasters around the room. Though would being shot really be a bad thing at this point?

“No, I simply have self-control,” Hux said.

He stared at the risotto as he stirred it around.

“Well, that’s what you call it,” Poe agreed amiably. “I call it a breakdown waiting to happen. I mean, if your spine were any straighter, it would snap.” He broke a crispy vegetable in demonstration and then stuffed half in his mouth to chew. 

Just barely finishing before he spoke again, he softened his tone, “Hugs, your life has just taken a huge tumble over itself, but I’m asking you to give this life an honest try. To learn about who we are and why we do what we do. You’ve been First Order all your life, right? Find out what the rest of the galaxy is like for a change.”

“You are so eager for this; I have spent my whole life in the First Order,” Hux said with a shrug. “My earliest memory is from when I was about five; I watched the large ships of the Republic open fire at the academy I’d grown up in. My father took me away from there. Do you really think your Resistance is any better when its precious Republic took many young lives that day and more?”

“Nobody is completely innocent in war,” Poe said quietly. “And I’m not denying the Republic’s made its fair share of mistakes. But they don’t kidnap thousands and thousands of children for the sole purpose of making them into brainwashed cannon fodder. They don’t rape whole planets of their resources while lecturing the inhabitants that they’re doing it for their own good. And they don’t let Force users tear apart people’s minds to get what they want.” He huffed out a little breath and leaned back in his chair. “We’re also not xenophobic. Stay and learn what we are, Hux. You love that cat of yours. You’re not made of stone.”

“I couldn’t exactly get rid of Ren or even Supreme Leader Snoke; they’re at a far greater advantage than I am,” Hux muttered, examining a piece of vegetable (he assumed). He dropped the spoon to clasp his hands together. “You know none of your people are going to believe it if I did somehow turn from my cause, right?”

“I will,” Poe said firmly. “And so will General Organa. And the others will follow. Your actions could prove your change of heart. I know it won’t be right away, but I think it will come with time. Just do things you don’t feel are betrayals right now, and see who we are. See if you don’t change your mind. That’s all I’m asking.” He raised his eyes to Hux and made them as soft and imploring as possible, knowing the power of his features and sincerity.

Hux pursed his lips. He couldn’t understand why the other man was so optimistic and he hated not understanding things.

“I don’t understand you. And I don’t know what work you wish me to do, but it is more than likely that I won’t do it,” Hux said stubbornly.

He put his spoon down, folding his arms in front of him as gracefully as he could being in a canteen.

“You wouldn’t be willing to just help with the maintenance of the ships?” Poe cajoled. “No upgrades or anything that might be against your principles. Just helping out around the hangar. It would be a place you could see everyone, meet everyone, understand us.” He leaned forward in his chair. “It’s a good deal, Hugs. The best deal. You know that.” He wanted to reach out for the other man to help do his persuading, but figured that would only drive the other man further away. 

Hux raised an eyebrow at him. “You would want me near your machines?” Hux asked, although he was too much of a perfectionist to sabotage their things, probably. “I’m not very good with people; only at telling them what to do.” He didn’t think Dameron’s peers would appreciate that. He didn’t know how to function outside of his role as a General.

“Hugs,” Poe said again, soothing. “Come on. Just say you’re willing to give it a try. Maybe it won’t work out and then we’ll have to figure something else out. But a try, just give me that for saving your life. For saving Millie’s life.”

“Fine, let me fix your ship, it needs work anyway,” Hux muttered, heaving a sigh. He did owe him his life, that much was true and fixing his damn ship wasn’t actually a proper repayment. You can’t repay what has no value. It would seem he had no choice but to answer anyway; Dameron was persistent and as stubborn as he was and as much as he tried not to look at the man, whose expressions were cajoling, it was hard not to.

Poe sat back in his chair and beamed at Hux, everything about him notching up to a ten on the happiness scale. “We’ll get you some new clothes first. Something more comfortable and that you won’t mind getting dirty. My stuff won’t fit you, so we’ll have to go to the Commissary.” He was practically bubbling over with good cheer, always prone to being on the happier side, but even more so when he worked things his way. (Which he did frequently with a combination of charm, persistence, underrated intelligence and, yes, good luck.) “I think something in green will look good on you, make you less severe.”

Hux grimaced. “I prefer black. It looks better on me,” he said. Most bright colours clashed for him too much and he couldn’t stand it. Plus, he wasn’t all that fond of the colour green. “Can we just return to your quarters?”

“How about something in a softer brown or plain color then?” Poe asked. “Your uniform will be too much of a target. We can’t hide that head of hair of yours, and I wouldn’t want to anyway, but we can at least make you less First Order in appearance.” He glanced toward Hux’s feet. “Besides, those boots are not made for hard work, but for show. Your feet will never hold up. Especially given how tall you are.”

Hux supposed he had a point. “What about a dark grey? If you have any formal hats, I can hide my hair that way,” he said. He’d hated his hair as a child, but at least as a General, people rarely mistook him, especially as it wasn’t a common colour.

“We don’t really have hats, but I guess we could find something,” Poe agreed, though he looked a bit forlorn about the idea of covering over Hux’s hair. It was something rather unusual about him, and Poe definitely appreciated the color, if not the style. “At least we can give you a less coiffured appearance. Let your hair act a bit more natural. And gray is boring...but I’m sure we’ve got some uniforms in gray.”

“Hm, well, I am going to stand out then. It always has,” Hux said. “My father hated it.” His lip twitched. He never changed his hair colour; he kept it just to spite the man. He looked up and couldn’t quite work out why Dameron seemed...dismayed...at the idea of covering it. “Brown is little better; unless it is hair, skin or eyes, brown is dull. Then again, better than...orange.”

Poe ran a hand through his own hair, having never thought to complain of the color. He knew damn well he came out lucky in the game of outward appearances. But he liked the things that made Hux so very different from him; the slimmer build, pale skin and red, red hair.

“Attitude is what will make you stand out, Hugs. You’ve got to carry yourself a little less like a wooden plank. Just allow a bit of more natural movement in your body.”

Hux frowned at him. “You expect me to change that too? I’m an engineer, not a miracle worker,” Hux said. He was starting to wonder whether a cell would be preferable after all. There was no way he was going to be whatever Dameron wanted him to be. And he hated canteens. Why did they have to be here?

“You’re right. I’m sorry. That’s too much to put on you all at once,” Poe said. “I just want us to give you a chance, too.” He gave him his best big-eyes look, before finishing his meal. “You all done? We can get you some clothes and other necessities.”

Hux swallowed, unsure what to make of his expression. He hadn’t actually eaten, not caring to eat with an audience. “I am done. I can eat this later,” he said with a shrug, not wanting to make a big deal over it, but also not being a fan of waste.

Poe looked at the food and then back at Hux. “Well, given you’ve only been pushing it around, I figured you weren’t going to get anywhere. I’d prefer that you eat it all. Please.” He folded his hands on the table and tried to keep still and quiet and let the other man eat. Honestly, he hoped to help Hux, not antagonize him, but he seemed to be driving the other man crazy. (Crazier?)

Hux sighed and looked away, embarrassed. “I am not accustomed to eating in front of an audience,” he said quietly. Perhaps he should change tactic; give the man something he wanted in exchange for the ability to eat in private. “I can work out new upgrades for your droid in your quarters while I eat. It is more comfortable that way.”

“Sure, we can eat in my quarters, if you prefer,” Poe agreed easily. “No upgrades needed, though if you really don’t mind, BB-8 would like that...and I kind of would, too. Alright, I really would. BB-8’s a friend of mine. He deserves a nice upgrade. I don’t have a lot of time to offer him that. You don’t like to eat in public at all? May I ask why?”

Hux was surprised that he hadn’t needed to offer, but he supposed it helped. Plus it would give him something to do that wasn’t betraying his very nature. “I don’t like crowded spaces; I can handle a lot of people in the nature of my job as a General, but I don’t care for anything else nor feel comfortable. I always ate in my quarters,” he said.


	4. Consideration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe helps Hux get more settled and Hux continues to be shocked by the other man's kindness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did we mention slow burn? If we didn't, apologies!
> 
> I've edited the rating for now as it really is soft and sweet for now. Will probably post this story in parts, so if we get more explicit, we'll put that in another story. x]

“You should have told me, Hugs,” Poe said, “if you’re that uncomfortable. Grab your tray and come with me. We’ll find a quiet spot to eat. You don’t have to change that about yourself.” He stood to carry his empty tray to put in the cleaner and signalled for Hux to follow him. “I know just the spot.”

Hux shrugged. So far, the Resistance was nothing like what he was used to. Yet he still wondered whether there was a catch. Surely people weren’t this nice. He stood up with his tray, keeping his focus on Dameron, who he was trying to work out. Was he like this with all prisoners?

Poe led Hux through a few halls, greeting multiple people on the way, before turning down a very quiet hall and leading him to a small patio. They were overlooking a vast sea, just beyond a ring of old, giant trees. Animal song filtered through air, the native wildlife unafraid of their Resistance neighbors. He took a seat and gestured for Hux to sit across from him. “This better? Most folks forget this is even here...me, too.”

Hux followed and blinked around at the sea and...nature. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been planet-side, not including Starkiller. He sat down and figured that just having one person watch him was the best he was going to get. And Dameron was oddly...accommodating. He started with the garlic bread, taking his gloves off first before slowly eating it.

Poe watched Hux eat for a moment with unguarded interest. The tall ginger was a bit of an enigma and intrigued him to no end. To give him a little more privacy, he turned back to the view. “I’ve always preferred the stars, but the view here is pretty amazing. The most advanced lifeforms are in the sea. They have their own language. I wish we had time to learn it and communicate.” He glanced back over at Hux, eyelids lowered to watch him. “Like I want to learn how to communicate with you.”

He finished the garlic bread; why he chose it was beyond him, though perhaps not having had it in so long...he started on the risotto and managed to glance up at Dameron when he spoke about learning to communicate with sea creatures and then...him. He swallowed. “Well, you’d have time to learn how to communicate with any creature if you spent less time opposing us,” he said, managing to add humour to his tone. “...As for me, I’m not sure why you wish to. To get me to divulge all sorts of First Order secrets?”

Poe rolled his eyes at Hux and said, “A xenophobic group in command is going to be all about learning to talk to the sea creatures,” in a mocking tone. “Come on, Hugs, that’s an unfunny joke. And one of my many problems with the First Order and the reason I oppose you. The Empire thought it was perfectly reasonable to hunt down species like wookies on their home planets using Tie-fighters and walkers, and the Order seems to think the same. As long as that’s the case, I’ll fight them to the death.” Again, a flash of his serious side shone through the lighter exterior, the hard core that drove him and made him a leader despite it all.

“You keep going back to the idea that I’m going to pry secrets from you,” he said. “I’m not. That’s not the kind of communication I mean. Real communication means having a link with the other person.”

Hux lowered his eyes to his food. He wondered if it was treacherous of him to find an enemy's passion oddly charming. He didn't answer to Dameron's response, knowing that he had none.

"I don't have that kind of skill, Dameron. I don't have anything outside of work and I've experienced far too much treachery to be able to automatically believe that you want more than just First Order secrets," Hux said bitterly.

“And that’s why we have to learn to communicate,” Poe agreed. “You need to see that we’re not like everything you’ve known before. I know that’ll take time. I’m not the most patient of men, but I can for something that’s worth it. Like this.” He kept his eyes to the scenery, though he peeked over at the other man sometimes.

“For the record, not having to deal with constant treachery is another good reason to support the Resistance.”

Hux found himself starting to, perhaps, believe him. Though he knew it would take time to truly feel that. He knew that he was stuck here, but in a way that made him feel less like a prisoner. It was so completely different from what he was used to. They had accepted the former stormtrooper easily enough, although his was a far more different situation. His conditioning had broken...and clearly his true feelings were against the First Order’s ideals. Hux was glad to not have seen him for the time being; he doubted it would go down well.

“And what, may I ask, would be in store for me if I never cooperate?” Hux asked. The most terrifying part of it was he wasn’t sure he would stand his ground to the end. Dameron was being awfully nice to him, which he wasn’t used to and set off his naturally suspicious disposition.

“That’s not entirely up to me, but as long as you don’t actively attack us, we can find a place for you,” Poe said softly. “If you tried to harm us, well...that would be different.” He looked over his shoulder at Hux briefly, a flash of warm eyes. “We still won’t torture you though or use the Force against you. That’s never the right way.”

Hux averted his eyes back to his bowl, not wanting to look at him too long. He didn’t want Dameron knowing that he was having some effect upon him.

“Hm. I won’t promise anything, but I stand by my offer to upgrade your droid,” he said. He did have some honour.

“BB-8 will be excited,” Poe said. “Alright, not just BB-8.” He was smiling ear-to-ear in unabashed happiness at the thought of his friend getting some additional attention. “And you’ll help me with the upkeep of my X-wing, too. Between those two things, you and I will end up as friends. I won’t be able to help liking you.” 

Hux couldn’t believe this guy and his optimism, but it was certainly a different kind of energy than he was used to. It was more painful that he was handsome. He put his spoon down and wiped his hands with the napkin he’d grabbed.

“So, what’s next?” He asked.

“New uniform and some personal items for you,” Poe said. “So, the Commissary. And then we’ll give you a chance to recuperate from your trying day. Lady Millicent, too. You can spend some time together in your new quarters. We can get you involved with the rest of the base tomorrow.” He patted Hux’s right shoulder. “Bring your tray and we’ll get it taken care of.”

Hux nodded. He felt like a new recruit, even though he didn’t know what he was going to do. He wondered whether they knew that he built Starkiller and, if not, would they be this accommodating then? It didn’t much matter; this was far better than he’d anticipated. He picked up his tray and followed Dameron.

Poe led them through the somewhat complicated halls of the base, though he knew a Star Destroyer would be even larger and more difficult to navigate. So, he felt assured Hux would pick up the layout fairly quickly. Not that he’d be going anywhere alone for a long time. Leia and the Resistance were not that trusting. (That she’d even gone along with his suggestion for watching Hux in this fashion was amazing. And spoke to her trust in Poe, which made his chest puff with pride.)

They arrived at the Commissary shortly after disposing of Hux’s tray and Poe asked the officer running it for a variety of clothes in Hux’s size (obtained with a bit of difficulty from the other man) for them to choose from. She laid out options for shirts, pants, socks, nightwear and underwear and left them to select.

Poe instantly picked up a bright red pair of briefs and said, “I think you need to model these to see if they fit right, Hugs.”

Hux took one look at the bright red pair of briefs and was both horrified and slightly pink.

“No, thank you. Maybe you should if you like them so much,” he said.

He distracted himself by examining the more reasonable sets of clothes laid out for him.

“You want me to try them on right here and now?” Poe asked and lifted them to see how they’d fit on his body. “Think they might be a bit tight in front, but that might be becoming.” He shrugged and began to take off his boots and undo his pants.

Hux looked at him as if he were crazy.

“I was being sarcastic, Dameron,” he said, daring to hope that his face wasn’t as red as it felt.

“You? Sarcastic?” Poe asked and put a hand on his chest in mock-shock. “I couldn’t tell. It all comes out the same. And you often mean things that I think you’re telling as a joke.” He glanced over his shoulder at the clerk, who was still engrossed in her work. “Sure you don’t want to see if these briefs will fit? I mean, they are a fun color. Definitely my style. While I see you’re still going for bland and blander.” He undid a couple more fasteners on his pants, revealing a flash of blue underneath.

“Of course it is sarcastic; we are in a public part of your base, why would you undress here?!” Hux asked. “They are underwear; they don’t need to be flashy.”

“That’s such a loaded question, Hugs,” Poe said with a laugh. He made a little production out of undoing a few more buttons and sliding the pants down a bit and now, felt the appreciative eyes of the Commissary officer on him. That only encouraged him to swing his hips more, as he rolled them down to reveal his bright blue briefs, which hugged his natural curves, front and back, very nicely. “And some nice underwear can go a long way.” He tipped Hux another wink.

Hux really had thought he was just messing with him, but no. Dameron really did slide his trousers right down. He covered his face with his hand, though it really was too late. It was more exasperation.

“You’re a Commander...are you trying to prove a point here?” He asked.

“That even Commanders can have fun?” Poe said with a light laugh at Hux’s face. He sidled over to him and placed the red briefs in his pile. “You’re taking them.” Shimmying back into his pants and securing them, he beamed up at the other man and looked over his choices. “Going for the prim and proper look, I see. How about some color for your non-working clothes. Green is good.” He held it up in front of Hux. “Yes.”

“You know, at least I would have questioned you; Allegiant General Pryde would have simply shot you,” Hux said with a shake of his head. “I will only compromise it to dark blue.” He could burn the underwear later.

“Speaking from experience?” Poe asked sweetly and placed the green in the pile, too. “And yes, I know well the hospitality the Order offers their guests. You don’t forget I was one briefly? I met your best representative, some tall dude in a mask. He didn’t kill me, but I wished he had for a few moments. He ripped apart my head...not sure that’s any better, Hugs. I just choose red underwear for you to wear. I think you’re pretty lucky.” Poe raised his eyebrows at the other man.

Hux grimaced at the mention of Ren. “Trust me, if I had my way, Ren would be ejected into space,” he said. “He has such a temper and has destroyed many a control panel, plus more.”

“As for my experience, I don’t give orders for torture, no. That was all Ren’s doing and he is the Supreme Leader’s lapdog, so I cannot very well tell him what to do...trust me, I tried it once, it was enough.” he said, bitterly.

“So, what you’re saying is that you don’t torture people, even though your organization allows it,” Poe said. “Are you trying to persuade me that I made the right choice in rescuing you?” He was practically crowing at the other man, face alight. “I don’t need it, but I don’t mind, Hugs.” He gave him a friendly pound on the back. “Also, you’re welcome for freeing you from Ren, who really is an ass.”

“No, I don’t nor do I order it,” Hux said. He raised an eyebrow at Dameron. “I am merely stating facts.” He grimaced at the contact, his shoulders contorting inwardly on instinct. “Yes, well, I suppose we should go.” He neatly folded his pile and took it. He would give Millicent the green clothes.

“Facts in support of my decision,” Poe said happily and noted the way Hux hunched away from contact. He suspected there were unpleasant reasons behind that reaction. He hoped he could ease him into accepting and even enjoying friendly interactions, but knew he also wanted him to learn that unwanted attentions wouldn’t be forced. “Yeah, come on. Let’s get back to my quarters and your cat. Hopefully, she’s a bit more settled, though I know it will take time. For both of you.”

Hux relaxed, oddly understanding that he would be in no danger from the other man, even if his body wasn’t ready to. He nodded, following him through the base until they were in Dameron’s room. Millicent was curled up in Dameron’s bed, though it wasn’t like she could reach the top bunk.

Poe looked at Millicent for a second and than burst into laughter. “So, are we switching beds? Am I sleeping with Millicent? Or do I get to sleep with you?” He reached out and lightly stroked over her side. “What a good girl. You have excellent taste. I approve of you.” He leaned in to lightly kiss her head, seeing if she (or Hux) would object.

Millicent made a noise to signal he’d disturbed her, but she didn’t do anything else. Hux was honestly shocked at how trusting Millicent was of Dameron. Though his words came back to him.

“Ah...I don’t know. We’re used to a bigger bed,” Hux said quietly, taken aback. Except, he knew there was no moving her. “We can switch, if that suits you....”

“Well, I don’t mind sharing with our lady, if you don’t mind her potentially staying and sleeping with me,” Poe said with a teasing grin. “And sorry we’re not as fancy here, Hugs. We’ll all have to just make do with what we’ve got.” He opened the closet and pushed items around to give Hux some space. “Let’s get your stuff arranged. There’s a couple of empty drawers already.” He pointed to the bureau. “And room in the fresher for your personal items.” He helped Hux with all of his things, the desire to help ingrained in his nature. 

“I...would rather swap beds, please,” Hux said. He certainly didn’t wish to sleep on the top bed if he could help it. He folded his clothes neatly into the drawers and put the small box of refresher items into the refresher before taking the night clothes and returning to the refresher to change.

Poe nodded good-naturedly and stroked Millicent a few more times. “Millie, old girl, I think we’re going to make this work. Just...help me out, okay?” He grinned and went to fetch his own night clothes and wait his turn for the shower.


	5. Empathy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux reveals that he has a compassionate side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Bit of angst, reference to past torture, not graphically depicted but talked about.
> 
> Enjoy!

For the most part, Poe kept up a real optimistic and determined personality, sustained by his almost bottomless energy and goodwill for people of all sorts and the core of him made of his belief in what is right. Still, darkness has touched him, tainted and blackened pieces of his soul. And in the night, in uncontrollable dreams, that darkness sometimes rose and attacked.

Especially since his capture by the First Order...and the rape of his mind by Kylo Ren.

Even with a bit of time separation and Leia’s soothing of the injury to his mind with her own Force abilities, the memories (and the pain) still linger. The helplessness as the power tore him apart from inside, rendering all his struggles useless. And being discarded, sure he had lost everything and would soon be executed...the memory of that still haunted him.

So, Poe still had a lot of nightmares and screamed in his sleep. Loudly and with complete loss of all control as he descended into the memory of fear and pain.

Hux had always been a light sleeper due to having to stay alert all of his life. It’d saved his life more than once and it was the reason he slept with knives up his sleeves, literally. Not now, though. Organa had seen to that.

So him falling out of the small bed in panic, woken by loud, panicked screams, had him pulling out the spherical light he had snuck out of his great coat for such emergencies. He wasn’t scared of the dark, but it helped to have light easy on hand. It lit up the room and he let it go to float as he saw nothing.

He did, however, realise it was Dameron writhing in his sleep. He rubbed his eyes, spying the clock. Definitely too early

Half-asleep, he tried to tell him to wake up, but no response.

Grunting, he climbed up the ladder and squeezed his way towards the pilot’s head, shaking him. Nothing. He touched Dameron’s temple and grimaced, pulling away. His use of the Force was subtle; he’d learnt to protect himself and even the Supreme Leader himself didn’t realise he was sensitive. Too many years of hiding from his father.

He touched the pilot’s temple again, this time not reading but soothing. Half-asleep that Hux was, he might have accidentally replaced the nightmare with one of Hux’s few good childhood memories and fallen asleep, the light soon turning off too.

They would both dream of exploring the academy, of venturing out into the forest, ending up dripping wet from rain.

The horrible scenes were gone, eased away from Poe’s mind and replaced by something unfamiliar, but much more relaxing. He and someone else, someone he trusted, were exploring a beautiful forest, full of the largest trees he’d ever seen. The pain from before melted away as if it had never been there at all. And he slipped back into a deeper sleep, peaceful this time.

Which is why he woke refreshed and content...and cuddled next to Hux. His brain snapped on instantly, but his body, warm and relaxed, stayed put. And after a moment, his brain decided not to worry either. He smiled a little, crooked and real, and snuggled back up to the tall ginger. 

The former General was warm and tall and completely pressed against all of Poe’s side. Millicent was stretched out near their feet, taking up the foot of the bed in a sprawled position, feeling glorious, which Poe could tell by the warmth of her fuz near his toes, accompanied by deep, rattling purrs.

He could really just go back to sleep this way…

Hux didn’t wake again that night, which was unusual as he usually stirred to distant sounds. However, Poe’s movement made him stir, his body felt squashed and there was a presence he hadn’t had the night before, making his mind wake up sooner and his eyes snapped open.

His arms had involuntarily risen to be near his head, anticipating trouble, but it didn’t come. “What’s going on??” Hux groaned.

“We’re asleep,” Poe mumbled in a gritty tone, his morning rumble. “Let’s do more of that.” He didn’t move from his place beside Hux, even though the part of his brain that was alert told him the other man was unlikely to remain once he woke up enough to realize their positions. Still, Poe wasn’t going to be the one to ruin this lovely moment.

Neither was Millicent, judging by the continued purring from near their feet. She knew a good thing when she had it. Now, if only Hux could realize that.

“Stay. Good General.”

Hux took a few long moments to work out what he was seeing, slowly remembering what happened and bringing his hands to his face. His cheeks were getting warm, which was all the more reason for him to keep his hands there.

He could tell him what happened and likely be teased.

Or he could let the other man make his own assumptions and be teased.

“I tried to wake you up out of your....nightmare...and must have fallen asleep in the meantime,” he muttered.

“I know,” Poe said in that same sleepy tone. “It was kind of you. And it worked. I haven’t slept that well since I was tortured...thank you.” He smiled, all shining teeth and eyes. “You’re a good bed partner, too. You’re not even hogging space with all those long limbs.” Everything in his answer was sincere and warm, without a hint of mockery. “Are you comfortable?”

Now he was more embarrassed. And he didn’t want to answer an affirmative to his question. Hux was trying to convince himself that Dameron was being nice to get information, but that wasn’t working either. “I guess so,” he said, trying not to be too forthcoming with the truth. He should move, but he couldn’t bring himself to right now.

Poe chuckled and said, “Well, Millicent is extremely comfortable. Can you hear her down there? Sounds like she could power an X-wing through the rumble of her purrs she’s so loud.” He smiled at Hux and closed his eyes again, content to just bask for a little longer. There were no urgent reasons to haul up this morning. He had a patrol in the late afternoon, but nothing set in stone before then. 

He hoped Hux would allow himself some more time to relax, too, and not hop up and flee. Millicent might help in that regard. Hux couldn’t make that kind of move without disturbing her.

“I am sorry about waking you up with my nightmares,” he said without opening his eyes.

“I’m still in utter shock at how quickly she has taken to another person. I suppose there are perks wherein I get to remain outside a cell and not in because my cat attacked their best pilot,” Hux said. He moved his hands, folding them close in front of him.

“Honestly, it is not the worst wake up this month,” Hux said with a shrug. “Does that happen often?”

Poe’s eyes opened again, brow furled a little at the other man. “Not the worst wake up? I’m hoping you’re referring to your time before coming here, Hugs. Otherwise, we’re working on making you feel less stressed around here.” He wanted to reach out and pat his arm, but refrained with difficulty. 

He hated to talk about himself and his troubles, but in the interest of continuing to win Hux’s trust, he said, “Ever since that Kylo Ren used the Force on me...I’ve had intermittent headaches and nightmares. I’ve been tortured before, but never like that. Never where someone could just take it from me. Dr. Kalonia called it rape...and I guess it was.”

“From before. There’s very little that can stop a Force user like Ren and locks, keypads, technology...aren’t one of them,” Hux muttered.

Hux swallowed; of course, he knew, but that would mean admitting what he did. He found himself feeling ill in himself; he’d peeked to get an idea of how to soothe him, but…

He wouldn’t tell Poe. It wouldn’t hurt him and even if he did somehow find out and hate him for it, well...one more wasn’t exactly something he worried about. Though he might feel a little disappointed. His stomach fell a bit at how he’d come to kind of like Dameron, even just a little.

“And given how unstable he is, it only makes it worse...I don’t miss him and his damned Force. I had found some good remedies for the aftermath, but they are difficult to find cheaply,” Hux said.

Poe smiled a little sadly and said, “If you can tell me what they are, I might have some contacts who can help me get them. Given what we all face, it would be nice to have stuff like that on hand to help out. Do you get nightmares from that, too? I’ve noticed you’re a little rough in your sleep, too.” He felt very cozy in the moment, though, snuggled up close to this (former) General of the First Order and talking to him after an ultimately peaceful night’s sleep with a purring cat at their feet. It was all very domestic, and Poe found himself liking it a bit more than expected.

Hux nodded. “I’ll write you a list,” he said.

He dropped his eyes, but there was no real hiding it. “Yes, between Ren, the Supreme Leader and my father, sleep has either evaded me or been unkind to me. Sometimes I can sleep, usually with help,” he said.

Dameron seemed to be able to talk about anything pretty easily, something that had never come easily to Hux. Expressing feelings was discouraged in the Order.

“I’m happy to be that help,” Poe said honestly. “You seemed to be quite asleep here. And I slept well, too. And our kitty, too. Listen to her rumble, Hugs.” He nudged him gently. “If there are other things that help, tell me. Like I said, we can at least try to get them, and I do have some connections who can get hard to get things.”

Hux swallowed. “I have a compact datapad in my coat. I have not used it since I was on Starkiller, I assure you, but I can give you some funds...if you wish,” Hux said.

Millicent moved to be further up and between them, so Hux reached down to pet her. He shocked himself in his admission, but after the week being around Dameron…it didn’t seem to be all that bad.

“Oops, we woke up the lady of the house,” Poe said and added his own strokes to her side. He lifted his eyebrows at the mention of the datapad. “Clever to sneak that past us. I guess I’m lucky you haven’t brought the First Order down on our heads, huh? We’ll have to see about the funds, though. We’re not exactly rich and anything helps.”

“I owe you my life and, even without that, bringing them here may get me killed as well,” Hux said. “You can monitor it, if you want, I would just like to keep it.”

He could drain the First Order of funds, but he knew they would use means that Poe wouldn’t care for to get more. He couldn’t say he was particularly fond of the Resistance, but he couldn’t say he hated Poe.

“Self-preservation and life debt,” Poe said agreeably. “Also, you’ve been enjoying playing with my X-Wing. Don’t tell me you haven’t. I’ve seen your face when you just get to do some pure mechanics and engineering. It’s what you love best, isn’t it? Well, aside from Millie, of course.” He leaned in to rub his cheek against hers.

“Well, it certainly is a challenge,” Hux said, trying to deny it, but it had been calming. He was luckily skilled in ignoring the stares and whispers around him. He was truly surprised, though, that Poe allowed him to work on it. He was trusting, maybe too much so, but he found himself not wanting to break that. “Maybe your droid will let me take a look at them today.”

“BB-8 has their own mind, but I’ll speak to them again about it. I think they’re a bit scarred by what the First Order did to me when I was captured. The thought of using droids to torture me goes against everything BB-8 believes a droid should be forced to do. They and I have a special relationship, so...kinship. It’s like if someone used a cat to torture you.”

Poe stretched and let out a sigh. “What the droids and Stormtroopers did was better than Ren anyway. Though they enjoyed hitting me a little too much.”

Hux grimaced. “...I read the report,” he said quietly. “There’s a Lieutenant that specialises in droid works and I don’t have a lot to do with the droids myself. BB9-E aside.”

While he may feel no contempt towards the man now, even back then, the report had turned his stomach.

“Did you?” Poe asked softly. “Did you indeed?” He dropped his eyes and looked a little ill. “And did you mock the Resistance pilot who was foolish enough to get caught?” It was a soft voice.

Hux shook his head. “You were one man against a large squadron and an unfairly advantaged Sith warrior. Then tied up. I don’t know anyone who could go through all that and still be...as you are,” Hux said.

He’d had his fair share of unpleasant treatment, but his personality was built from that. Poe was still overly optimistic and Hux still did not completely understand why Poe had given him a chance after all of that.

“As I am?” Poe asked hopefully and looked up at Hux from under his long lashes. “And what is that?” He stroked Millicent as a way to deflect from reaching for Hux.

Hux watched as Millicent leant into Poe’s touch. “Compassionate, energetic and unable to let an enemy die when many of your team might have applauded you,” he answered.

He was blunt, but that was what he was. How could he be this open to trusting someone who was the General of his enemy?

Poe lit up with a smile, eyes bright and happy at the description of himself. He lightly bumped Hux’s upper shoulder with a fist and said, “Thank you.” He groaned and rolled over and swung himself off the side of the bed to the floor, avoiding the ladder. “Guess it’s time to get up. Come on, Hugs, I’ll get you breakfast and caf.”

Hux blinked, but he actually found he preferred that to the pain he'd seen. Whether Poe masked his pain well or just naturally bounced back (within reason), he wasn't to know. He didn't even flinch at the playful punch.

He stretched before awkwardly climbing down the ladder. "Very well," Hux said.

“Don’t sound so enthusiastic, Hugs. You’ll give me a complex,” Poe teased, even as he practically danced to the refresher. “What do you say to us getting a larger bed and just sharing? Might be a bit easier than what we’ve got going on now.” He peeled out of his shirt and began to shave.

“And that would be quite a shame,” Hux quipped. He took out the clothes he would wear and lay them on top of the dresser ready, though he needed to shave first. He felt his cheeks warm a little. It happened way too often around here. “I suppose that would be best.” He was inwardly grateful he was able to speak calmly. He didn’t know what was wrong with him lately.

“Are you showing flashes of humor?” Poe asked, peeking out of the refresher, face still half covered in shaving cream and hair sticking up in all directions. He grinned that delighted smile, more than willing to play if Hux proved willing. “I like it on you.” He disappeared back into the fresher to finish shaving and otherwise prepping for the day. 

“I have to go on patrol this afternoon, like I said, but Jessica will keep an eye on you if you want to keep tinkering with X-Wings.”

“Perish the thought,” Hux quipped. He stepped into the fresher soon enough to start his own shave. “Considering I’ve gotten through most of the available literature, working on your pastured x-wings is more desirable than staring at blank walls.”

Poe laughed at the dry tone and said, “You really are a piece of work,” but in a friendly, non-judgemental way. “And they’re not pastured. Just because our ladies have seen a few battles doesn’t make them any less amazing in the air. They’re a lot sturdier and more capable than the TIEs the First Order churns out. Those things are flying deathtraps.”

Hux was meticulous even with the shaving cream and razor. “You misunderstand, Dameron, I’ve been working on Mildred and she has literally been on the scrap list. I don’t know whether I can get her working again, but I like a challenge,” Hux said.

“Mildred?” Poe asked and peered into the fresher, grinning at the sight of Hux covered in shaving foam. “I don’t remember having a ship named that. It’s pretty close to Millicent. Hugs, are you naming our X-Wings!?” He bounced on his toes a little, beaming at the other man.

Hux rolled his eyes. “Modal Lambda 4398 mark 3, the one that has a hole in its left wing and no landing gear whatsoever,” he said. He narrowed his eyes at Poe before looking back at the mirror to finish the job.

“She’s had a hard life,” Poe agreed and leaned against the doorframe with his legs crossed. “Thank you for looking out for her, Hugs. All ships deserve to live up to their full potential. Do you know how to pilot a ship?”

Hux wiped off the excess cream before straightening out the cloth, managing to not let his eyes linger on Poe’s legs too long. “Only in theory, which isn’t the same, I know. I had more interest in the design, which I barely had time for as it was with my father around.” Hux said.

“You teach me some engineering tricks and I’ll take you out for a real flight,” Poe said. “For fun.” He made a wheeling and swooping gesture with his hands. “We can test out some of the upgrades you’ve been giving my ship. Don’t think I haven’t noticed, Hugs. You can critique yourself first hand.”

“I’m not a patient teacher, Dameron, you’re better off asking someone else,” Hux said. “Besides, unless I made your x-wing more spacious, you would struggle to fit two people in that cockpit.”

He didn’t answer at first, choosing instead to grab his clothes and shoo him from the fresher so that he could change privately before exiting in dark, linen slacks and dark blue linen shirt with long sleeves. He’d already combed and gelled his hair back.

“Yes, well, it keeps me busy,” Hux said.

Poe laughed and said, “I didn’t think you would be, but I’m still willing to learn from you. Besides, maybe it will help teach you patience. You’re never too old to learn. And you’re not old, Hugs. And we can jam in for a flight or two. Don’t be so stuffy.”

He stepped back to really look him over. “Looking good, Hugs. You wear the uniform well.” He winked at him. “Let’s go eat and requisition a new bed. I’m going to enjoy asking for a larger bed we can share from the Commissary.”

Hux just looked at him. “You’re a very optimistic person; I don’t know where you get it from,” he said.

He straightened out parts of the uniform to keep himself from reacting to his words, though the last part raised his head and he wasn’t sure what happened to his face. “You do realise how that sounds, right? I doubt your friends are particularly amused at my presence as is without you speaking like that.”

“I accept you and everyone else can stuff it,” Poe said. “They know me well enough to trust my judgement or not, as they like. I’m not going to lose sleep over that. And my friends will be my friends regardless. That’s the point of friendship. I’m your friend. And I think you’re mine, like it or not. And Millie is our furbaby.”

Hux stared at him, perplexed and unable to comprehend how someone could be like this, yet he felt oddly...pleased?...as well. It had only been a week and he had still revealed nothing to him. Hux had even begun to believe that Poe expected nothing like that off him.

He didn’t even correct him on Millicent’s name, instead just stood there trying to figure out what to do with this. He needed a distraction and cleared his throat. “Okay, well, to the Commissary, then,” he said quietly.

“Food first. Don’t think I don’t notice that you don’t feed yourself, Hugs,” Poe said and clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “You’re not nearly as slick as you think you are.” He waved a finger playfully at Hux, before gesturing for him to proceed him out the door. “We’re both going to have a nice breakfast, you with your tea and me with my caf, before we do anything actually productive. And yes, we’ll find a quiet place to eat.”

“See you later, Millie!”

Hux rolled his eyes. “I am quite capable, I’m simply not fond of your canteen,” he said. He stepped out, waited for him to lock up and walked with him. He still managed to walk like he was a General still. He was, however, far from it, especially in these drab clothes. They were the closest he could get to what he preferred to wear, but nonetheless awful.

“You’re strutting,” Poe observed with a grin. “I like it. Your legs are good for that kind of movement.” He imitated the other man’s ‘General strut,’ though he admittedly threw in a bit more movement of his hips and ass, just to see how Hux responded. 

“I’m simply not fond of your canteen,” he echoed in a playful imitation of Hux’s natural speaking pattern and bit off words.

“I may be a prisoner, albeit one with certain freedoms, but I’m still a General and I will behave as such,” Hux said.

Hux observed Poe’s impression of him, unimpressed. “It doesn’t suit you,” he said, snootily. It didn’t have quite the bite that he’d arrived here with, though.

Poe snickered at the response and said, “Nah, nobody can properly imitate your haughtiness, Hugs. It’s all in the nose and the pronunciation.” He lightly bumped into Hux, the contact friendly (though he never knew exactly how the other man might respond). “But I won’t make you suffer mingling with the Rebel scum. We’ll sneak off outside today.”

“Careful, Dameron. Keep talking like that and you’ll be flying me back to the Order,” Hux said. He had to keep walking like he was still a General or he might just go mad. He couldn’t stand the eyes on him, the disapproval in their gazes. It was like having his father back.

But Hux wasn’t completely inept. He decided to make an attempt to shock Dameron. It would either work or he’d continue to be infuriatingly unflappable.

His breakfast was usually minimal, but this time he put a few rashers of bacon, sausage, egg, beans, toast, mushrooms, tomato, spam and a croissant and banana to the side. He could eat it all, sure, he just usually drifted towards minimal.

Poe watched in amused amazement as Hux piled food on his plate like there was no tomorrow. He didn’t comment until the man had obviously taken everything he wanted. “Are you eating for two now?” he asked with a huge grin. “Got something you need to confess?” He lifted both eyebrows at the other man, before nodding approvingly. “I expect you to eat all that now.”

Actually, he didn’t as he thought that much food would make the ginger sick, especially given how little he normally ate. But getting him to eat more than normal...yeah, he would do that.

Hux shook his head. “I do actually like food, Dameron, just on my own terms,” he said. It hadn’t worked, but still, he was a little hungrier than usual. Hux raised an eye at him. “And if I don’t?”

Not that he would waste it; Millicent was more than happy to finish up on the rare occasion that he did have too much on his plate.

When Poe was finished choosing his food, he silently walked out of the canteen so that they could eat somewhere in peace.

“You know, I could eat this in our room; you must have many friends here that you would want to eat with,” he said.

“Don’t be such a nerf brain,” Poe said easily. “You’re my friend. And eating alone in our room, even with Millie there, is not right. It’s lovely outside, so let’s go enjoy it. And if you don’t eat it all, I’ll crumble the remains over the floor in our room and lay bets how long it takes for you to crack and clean it all up by hand.”

Hux gave him a look. “Nerf brain?!” He huffed, indignant. He tightened his hold on his tray, thankful that he had a steady hand or he might have dropped it. He distracted himself from the tight feeling in his chest by focusing on less serious matters. “I will eat it. I don’t waste food; even any I might leave can go to Millicent.”

Poe looked at the mess of food on Hux’s plate and said, “Millie has more cosmopolitan tastes than you do. I’ll have to give her extra pets tonight for being a good influence on you. Broaden your experience, that girl does.” He turned to the right suddenly and said, “Come on, Hugs, there’s a bench over here where we can sit and enjoy the morning.”

Hux sighed, not having an answer to that. The man was a puzzle with half the pieces missing. The worst part was that he didn't even hate it. Him. He could almost hear the sneer in his father's voice.

Hux sat next to the cheery pilot and started on his food.


	6. Sweetness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux finds himself liking Poe's company and trusting him, despite his natural instincts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figure it's been a while, give you some more!

Poe smiled over at him and ate his own bowls of warmed grains and fruit contentedly, sipping at his caf and blue bantha milk. In this moment, he felt at peace with the galaxy and the grumpy, stuffy, totally adorable former First Order General beside him. Somehow, he felt like this was where he was supposed to be and who he was supposed to be with, as if the Force (for all that both of them were Force nils) had guided them together on this path.

“I like having you here,” he said. “It’s nice. I hope you will learn to like it here.” He smiled at Hux, all kindness and big eyes, before going back to his food. 

Hux chewed on a sausage as Poe spoke and he swallowed the piece, looking at Poe. It might have been an unreadable expression, except there was a hint of uncertainty.

Maybe fear, too.

He thought maybe he’d felt wanted before, but he couldn’t place when. Clearly, it hadn’t lasted, so why would this last?

“And if you won the war? Would it be the same then?” Hux asked.

Poe looked honestly confused. “Why wouldn’t it be the same then? In fact, that would be even better. You and I would both be on the side that won the war.” He reached out and snagged one of Hux’s sausages and ate it happily. “What would you like to do, if you could do anything besides be in the First Order?”

“I have intricate knowledge of the First Order. Now, you advocate the Resistance’s no violence measures and let us imagine, hypothetically, that you do manage to get information from me. When the war is over, there is no use for me, is there?” Hux said. Yet part of him thought that Poe really was as true as he claimed.

“All I know is the First Order...without it, I’m useless,” Hux said.

Poe scoffed at both things and said, “You’re such a pessimist, Hugs. The galaxy’s full of possibilities. You’re an engineer and a mechanic. You could design and build so many things that could do good for people. Or make you rich, if that’s what you wanted. The First Order isn’t the be-all, end-all. And if you helped the Resistance win, you’d get a chance to see that. To meet actual people and not the drones made of people by the Order.” He finished his bantha milk and grinned at Hux through a blue mustache. 

Hux pursed his lips. “I’m not sure people would want to meet me. Surely you have not missed the way that most around here regard me? That is not going to change,” Hux said. “I’m the one who designed Starkiller, you’ll have your hands full just trying to keep me out of a cell or worse. Even that failed, just as my father said it would.”

“You need to give them time, Hugs,” Poe said, “and show them you’re helping us. People do forgive. And Starkiller didn’t not work...we just blew it up. So, you didn’t kill a ton of people, either. You’re not an actual Starkiller. And I’m on your side, buddy. I can help you start over. I am helping you start over, right?”

Hux frowned at him, though not harshly. “You would not have lasted two minutes at the Order,” he muttered. “Or the Order would not have lasted two minutes with you there. I can’t decide which.” It was like he was trying to glare at him, to push him away, but he was finding that difficult. “And you’re a mess, didn’t anyone teach you any manners?” He pulled a napkin out of his sleeve and wiped it off of Poe’s mouth without thinking before returning to his food.

Poe just grinned even more at the action, not offended at all. It was rather sweet of Hux, really. “I wouldn’t have wanted to be in the Order, Hugs,” he said. “You do realize it’s a pretty kriffed up place, right? Building weapons to destroy whole planets? Letting Order members rape people’s minds? Kidnapping children to turn them into laser fodder. That’s all really, really kriffed up.”

Hux frowned. “I can’t fight the likes of Ren; I believe it is your General who is at fault for birthing that cretin,” he muttered. “My father was General before me and was less concerned about where the children came from, but under my rule, we only took those who had nothing to begin with.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I just wanted to end the war and bring order to the galaxy. The Republic did nothing to help those in the Outer Rim, even some within it. And I’m sure I’ve already told you that they opened fire on Arkanis academy, where many children had been,” Hux said. “I wanted it to stop.”

“Not saying the New Republic is without sin,” Poe agreed, “but stealing children is still stealing children, Hugs. Now, if the Order had asked to take them to raise them all as children and given them a choice in their future, this might be a different conversation, huh? But they were raised to be Stormtroopers, without identities and as the first ones to die in any battle. You took advantage of the fact they were poor and unfortunate.” He looked sadly at Hux. “You do understand that, Hugs.”

Hux stared at his plate of food, nibbling at a piece of bacon before swallowing and sighing. “I suppose. You have to understand that I knew no other life. I thought I was doing right by them,” he said quietly. “As it stands, none of the children taken in my time as General are old enough to have seen battle.”

Poe smiled at him again and reached out to lightly pat his closest leg once. “But that’s just it, Hugs, now’s your chance to learn about other options, other lives. And I just want you to do that, seize that. And if the Order is stopped...we can help the others do the same. That would be a pretty worthy thing to do with your life, right? Help other First Order personnel find their place in the galaxy? Their lost families. Their new jobs.” He was almost glowing at the idea.

Hux’s muscle spasmed under Poe’s touch ever so slightly, but he made no move or comment for him to stop. “Do you really think your General would do for them as you are for me?” He asked quietly. He put his tray to the side, most of it eaten, some bacon and sausage left for Millicent. He took the croissant in hand, staring down at it, conflicted.

“I don’t know. It’s-it’s a lot to take in,” Hux said, swallowing thickly. “But I can do one thing. With conditions.”

“If we want a galactic peace that lasts, I think everyone will need to take part in welcoming the First Order personnel back into the fold. Not everyone. Some of them have done or ordered things that require trials and prison terms and probation, but…there’s a lot of them who are like Finn. Brainwashed. Reconditioned. Tortured. Forced. Or who literally have never been given another option. The General knows that.”

Poe squeezed his knee this time and said, “I know. And I just want you to think about it for now. There’s time.”

He perked up even more at the idea of Hux doing something. “I’m listening,” he said, leaning closer.

“Surely you know that I am one of those people; I have commanded the First Order for five years, been part of it in varying ranks before that,” Hux said. “And I designed Starkiller.”

He swallowed, finding himself liking the feeling of Poe’s hand...but he had to control himself.

“The location of the children we raise is unknown to most of the Order, just in case of capture, as you can imagine. I...could help you take them away from there. On the condition that you make sure they don’t end up street urchin or otherwise abandoned,” Hux said.

Poe made a noise of delight and awkwardly (around all their breakfast items), but joyfully, gave him a hug. He also pecked him on the cheek. “I’m sure the General will find a way to take you up on that, Hugs,” he said, sitting back. “Thank you. That’s an amazing offer and can do such good.” He brushed a hand over Hux’s chest and gave it a pat, too, before sitting back, looking happier than ever.

Hux really hadn’t expected such a reaction, as such he froze, whimpered ever so slightly and went a little pink in alarm. “We c-can’t yet, not this week. Inspections. Less people to deal with when the inspections are over,” he said, trying to get his breathing back in order.

“Calm down, Hugs,” Poe said softly. “We’re probably going to need much more time than that to figure this out. And we have time. The Order doesn’t know you’re alive. Did you know that? They think you died with the explosion of the Starkiller Base. So, we can plan and do this right.” His hand now settled and rested on Hux’s knee, a simple, friendly gesture.

Hux was glad that his behaviour didn’t seem odd, but now he was faced with the news that he was assumed dead by the Order. Not that he had thought otherwise, but it was different hearing it out loud. He didn’t even know what he would do even if he was given the opportunity to return to it. Would he?

He’d lose this...kindness...that much was certain.

He just nodded. He cleared his throat then. “Maybe we should get on; the commissary. And you have patrol duty,” he said quietly.

“You didn’t finish your breakfast,” Poe teased with a grin, but he was polishing off his caf even as he did. He knew better than to push the other man too hard. “But you did eat more than I’ve ever seen you manage. That’s good.”

He rose with his tray and said, “Let’s go get ourselves a bed.”

Hux shook his head. “This is for Millicent, it was from the beginning,” he said.

He stood up, taking his tray and following Poe to get rid of their trays, which he swapped his for a container to put the leftovers in for Millicent.

“You’re kind of adorable,” Poe said fondly at the declaration and lightly bumped their shoulders together. “We taking a special trip after we order our new bed to take it to her? We have time before I have to report to drills and get you escorted to the hangar to do some work.” 

He steered them to the Commissary. “So, am I going to do the ordering? Cause...I can do the ordering, but you never know what I might say.”

Hux found himself nudging Poe back. “I’m not adorable. I simply wish to feed my cat proper food,” he said.

“We’ll do that, then,” Hux said.

He looked at him. “All you need to say is that you would like a double bed, it is that simple,” Hux said.

Poe wiggled his eyebrows and said, “Until they ask why. And I say I need to snuggle with my former First Order General to keep both of us from having nightmares. And you are adorable, feeding your cat fancy food.” He practically skipped into the Commissary as he approached one of the open windows.

“Morning, Marge,” he greeted the woman at the desk. “I need a new bed and to have the one in my quarters removed, please.” He flashed her his most dazzling smile.

Hux’s eyes went wide and he couldn’t contain the blush. He was going to object, but Poe skipped on ahead.

He managed to join him again and he was relieved to hear him make a normal request.

But Jess was walking by at that point and poked her head in with a playful smirk. “Oh? Things getting serious, Poe?” She said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“I’m always serious, Jess,” Poe shot right back with a smirk. “Especially about the right kind of bedding.” He leaned in to stage whisper to Marge. “Hugs and I are finding the bunks a bit too narrow, what with there being three of us.”

“Three of you?” Marge squeaked, turning a bit pink herself.

“Hugs, why don’t you tell Marge about our lovely lady?” Poe asked

Hux dropped his face into his hands, utterly embarrassed. “The lady is a cat. Don’t listen to him, he’s talking nonsense,” he said.

Jess came to stand next to Poe, a little shorter than him, but no less intimidating. Except, her humour was on Poe’s wavelength. “Nonsense? Are you breaking my friend’s heart here?” Jess asked.

Poe clasped his hands dramatically over his chest. “He does give it a bit of a beating,” he confessed to Jess, “but he’s worth it. I mean, look at him.” He smiled dopily in Hux’s direction.

“So, a double bed?” Marge asked, still pink and looking between the three of them (and wondering about this lovely lady bit).

“Queen,” Poe said. “It’ll be a tight fit in our quarters, but Hugs here is a bit too long for the double. He needs some room to stretch out those legs.” He gave him a frankly admiring glance over.

“Let me have a room of my own, please,” Hux sighed.

“You know what they say, right? Break my friends’ hearts, we’ll break your parts,” Jess teased.

“Please have the bed come with a blaster that I may shoot myself with,” Hux muttered.

The Commissary blinked a few times and looked at Poe in open entreaty,

“One bed. One room. Queen sized. Soft sheets. Warm covers. Pet friendly.” He beamed at her, all sweetness and light.

She muttered his requests and noted them down, before saying, “That should be installed today, if that works for you.”

“Perfectly. We’ll make sure our lady is out of the room. Won’t we, Hugs? She can be in her carrier or harness with you for the day.”

Hux managed to lower his hands, breathing in and out deeply. “Yes, she will be with me,” Hux said.

Jess patted Poe’s shoulder. “Looks like you’re having a lot of fun,” she said. She looked at Hux a bit more seriously. “I mean, if you do actually hurt him, then I can’t really control my fists.”

“Catch ya later, Poe,” Jess said, leaving.

“...Let’s just get Millicent and go,” Hux muttered, ears still red.

“After her fancy breakfast,” Poe sing-songed, waving to Jess. He leaned into Marge and whispered, “Did you also get my contraband?”

She turned even redder and quickly handed over a few items.

“You’re a doll,” he said with a wink. “Now, we can go.” He headed back into the main corridors, dropping his contraband in his pockets.

Hux didn’t know what Poe had pocketed, but he was both curious and wary. This man was completely unpredictable.

And he didn’t completely hate it.

He clutched the container holding his leftovers closer. “...Dare I ask?” He said quietly.

But Poe just tipped his head toward Hux with a raised eyebrow and a smile full of mischief and asked, “Dare you ask what? If I’m the best pilot in the galaxy? Why yes, yes I believe so. If I’m a delight to be around? Why yes, yes I am. If I kiss as good as I look? Well, you can always dare to find out.”

Hux was starting to think he was going mad. Poe was so completely different to what he was used to, so chaotic, yet he found himself liking it.

“You’re teasing me. The contraband,” Hux muttered. “Candy?”

“I enjoy teasing you,” Poe agreed. “You get so cute and pink. But if I get mean, you tell me, buddy. I’m just goofing around, right?” He pulled out a little square foil and pulled it apart coming to a stop. “Okay, close your eyes and open your mouth for me.”

Hux licked his dry lips before nodding. He had experienced mean before and this wasn’t it. This was something else.

He looked between the square and Poe. He tentatively closed his eyes and opened his mouth. He didn’t know why, but he trusted him.

Poe grinned, broke the chocolate piece in half and tucked one half into Hux’s mouth and the other into his own. “Enjoy,” he said, before engaging himself in sucking on the chocolate, so it melted slowly and provided maximum enjoyment. He hummed in delight, not at all ashamed to be open about his pleasure. “Good, huh?”

Hux couldn’t believe that he was allowing himself to be so vulnerable as to close his eyes, but for some reason beyond himself he trusted Poe. He’s not convinced that he wants to help the Resistance, but he does like Poe. So when Poe placed the substance on his tongue, he closed his mouth on it quickly and hoped that the noise he heard was only in his head (it wasn’t). It wasn’t like anything he had ever tasted before and he liked it.

He clapped his hand over his mouth, conscious of making a mess as it melted so easily.

When he finally finished it, he lowered his hand after licking off excess. “What...was that?” He asked. Poe didn’t need to know how much he liked that.

Poe grinned at the response and held out another piece. “They’re not really contraband. Marge’s family are candymakers. By hand. From scratch. Pretty unusual, especially in these times. I’m sure the First Order would have nothing but contempt for what they do, which is make people happy by making their tastebuds happy. These are called truffles and they come in all kinds of varieties, but my favorites are just the pure chocolates. They melt in your mouth.” He offered the piece to Hux. “Go on, you can have another. Don’t think I didn’t notice you licking the excess to make sure you got it all.” He winked playfully at Hux.

Hux let out a deep breath. “...Sugary items weren’t really on the menu, no,” he said. He went a little pink. “I don’t like mess, that is all.”

He took the offered chocolate, taking a small bite from it. It was surprisingly delicious.

“See, that’s the face of a man in love,” Poe said cheerfully. “I am not above bribing you with sweets into loving the Resistance...and me. Sweets and treating you and Millie right.” He led Hux back to their room.

“Okay, feed our spoiled lady her noms and than get her ready to be out for the day.”

Hux wondered if Poe ever thought about his words before he spoke them. He walked with him, though, trying to work out how to respond, but he went with his curiosity.

“You want me to love you?” He asked.

Millicent didn’t need summoning as she came about Hux’s legs and he picked her up, feeding her. When that was done, he simply tugged his great coat from the hook it had been abandoned on, folding it over his free arm and faced Poe, ready.

“Shall we?”

“Well, I much prefer that to being your enemy,” Poe said. “And love comes in all forms, Hugs. After all, you love Millie. Don’t lie and pretend you don’t. I love my friends.” He watched as Millie ate her breakfast from the comfort of Hux’s arms, amused.

“No, no, let’s get a harness on her,” Poe said. “She does have a harness, right?” He reached out to stroke her head.

“I wouldn’t exactly call you an enemy anymore,” Hux admitted. “I suppose. I’ve not really thought about...love...before. It seems so impractical...it nearly killed me.” But he didn’t regret it either.

“I’m going to put my coat in the hatch of Mildred, she can rest on it,” Hux said.

“Nearly killed you?” Poe asked. “You mean saving Millie? You know that saved you, too, right? Freed you from who you were...what you were. We may not be as fancy as the First Order or as well-funded, but you’re allowed to be human here. To be you. So, loving...it gave you a new life, too.”

Hux swallowed, putting the empty container to the side before clutching Millicent closer. He hadn’t really thought about it; he had a cat and cared for her, then risked his own life to save her. “It’s...I’m not accustomed to...this,” Hux said. He felt like he was spiralling out of control. He cleared his throat. “Come on, we have work to get to.”

He needed time to process this.

“Alright, Hugs, don’t get upset,” Poe said. “And ease up on Millie, too, before she gets upset.” He patted Hux on his right shoulder. “And you are accustomed to it...after all, you went back for her, didn’t you? You knew what love meant.” He nodded and headed out the door.

“I just hope you’re right that Millie won’t get scared and run off on you.”

“I’m not accustomed to knowing that’s what love is,” Hux muttered. He swiped her bowl and a bottle of water before they left.

“She won’t unless someone opens Mildred up and that’s on them,” he said.

They entered the hangar and he looked to Poe. “I’ll be alright from here,” Hux said.

“You’re alright all the time, Hugs,” Poe assured and snuck in to give Millie and little kiss on the head, before giving Hux a quick peck on the cheek. “Enjoy your day, honey. Stay out of trouble.”


	7. Endearing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux is left to work on an old x wing and helps one of Poe's friends fix a strange break in her x wing. Later he has the misfortune to be caught in the act of building new tech, though it isn't what it looks like, and gets stunned and locked up for it. Poe returns to pick up the pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Couldn't resist uploading another, enjoy!

Hux could have died right there, though he didn’t hate it either. He threw himself into fixing Mildred to stamp down the blush. Though he did wander about occasionally to get missing materials/tools he needed. In doing so, he passed by Paige Tico setting herself up for a test flight. He noticed something and while she was reluctant to be near him, he pointed out her broken hyperdrive circuit board. She then got her sister over and they had some whispered conversation before he worked with Rose to fix it. He understood, of course; the idea of letting someone from the enemy side fix your ship wasn’t sensible. He admired their sensibilities.

Unfortunately for him, while he was usually left alone, a few hours into his tinkering, one of the guys, Jeffers, caught him working on something. To them, it was a weapon, but it was much more than that.

Jeffers, being bigger and stronger than him, pulled him out of the x-wing, where he fell out of the cockpit. Jeffers’ friend, Huey, had hold of the gun prototype while Jeffers had his blaster aimed at his head.

“You trying to build your own weapon to take us out, huh? I should just shoot you on the spot,” he growled.

Hux wasn’t helpful; he knew there was no point speaking and explaining himself when they weren’t going to believe him anyway. It didn’t much matter anyway as Jeffers stunned him with a stun gun and he blacked out.

Meanwhile, Paige and Rose were trying to get them to stand down and Paige followed after them as they carried Hux to the cells to dump him inside one.

Rose had attempted to get Millicent out of the hatch, but she wouldn’t leave.

When Poe landed several hours later, he found Rose still standing vigil over Mildred. Confused, he approached and discovered in a breathless wave of her words what had happened to Hux and that Millicent was still in the X-wing. He scrambled up the ladder and almost instantly found himself with an armful of terrified fur, mewling for her person. He almost toppled backward to the ground, but caught himself last moment with one arm.

Climbing down carefully with an arm full of scared cat, he said, “Thanks for looking after her, Rose. I guess I’m off to find out what’s going on with Hux. I’m sure it wasn’t what it looked like.”

He marched straight to General Organa and maybe it was the armful of clingy fuzz, but she soon allowed him to go talk to Hux, who’d been put in one of their cells. Knowing the other man is probably crazy with worry about Millicent, he double-timed it to where Hux was kept, growling at the guards to get lost and opening the door without any worry for what the other man might do.

Millie took one look at her person and practically flew across the room to jump on him.

“Hey, Hugs. So, Millie’s okay. She’s scared, but okay. How are you doing? And what happened?”

Hux had woken up on an uncomfortable cot, which suited the cell he appeared to be in. He wasn’t concerned about himself, though, as he remembered that Millicent was still in the x wing. He didn’t know what time it was, but Poe would get her, right? He had to believe that. He ended up resting his face in his arms that were wrapped around folded up legs.

He heard the door open, but didn’t move. If he wasn’t in such a state, he would have realised it was Poe from the arguments outside the cell.

Then claws sunk into his legs and he straightened up then, wrapping his arms around the bundle of agitated fur. He focused on her for a moment and was glad for the reason to hide his face. He was pretty sure there was a cut lip.

“I was working on a small project when your friends attacked me,” Hux said.

“He was working on this blaster. He can’t be trusted, Poe!” Jeffers called out.

“Shut up, Jeffers! He pointed out my broken hyperdrive and helped Rose fix it. I’d be dead if he hadn’t!” Paige snapped back.

Hux took a deep breath and straightened up so that he wasn’t hiding behind his cat. “I was working on an idea I hadn’t had time to work on as a General. I can’t even fire it, it’s fingerprint locked,” he said.

Poe eased the door over to muffle some of the backchat and smiled a little sadly at the way man and beast clung to each other. Their own bits of familiar in the new they’d been thrown into. He took a seat near Hux on the floor, not caring if his already mussed flight suit got a little more grungy.

“Just start at the beginning, Hugs, and tell me what happened. And then I’ll try to get you out of there and back to our quarters. Okay? But oh, hey, you need anything? Water? Something to eat? I can ask Paige to get it.”

Hux shook his head. “I’m fine,” he said. “I’ve been working on miniaturised shielding. I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure I would be allowed...apparently my instinct was correct.”

“It’s a standard-issue blaster with an extra feature. Pressing the button, it throws a shield around the user. I based it off Starkiller’s shielding. Using prints I got off of objects in your quarters, it’s print-locked to you. Feel free to test it out, it’s finished,” Hux said with a shrug.

“Hugs, are you saying you made me a personal protective blaster? Is that what you’re saying? Cause...you are so sweet. But also...so stupid. You should have at least told someone you were going to, in case this exact thing happened.” Poe shook his head at the other man, but he was still smiling. “Can you prove it will only work for me to General Organa? We can show her? I’ll do my best to talk you out of any trouble. And if what Paige says is true, you saved her life before. Those things will matter.”

He noted how tightly Hux was holding Millicent and added in a softer tone, “I’m sorry they separated you two. I’m glad she trusts me enough to come to me. Is she all right? Are you all right? They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

Hux huffed, uncomfortable with the way Poe was phrasing it. "I was experimenting and it wouldn't see any use with me," he said. He shrugged. "They would have shut me down."

"If you get the blaster off your friend, you can prove it by using it," Hux said. He took a deep breath. "The hyperdrive had been sliced. It looked like it was done on purpose."

Hux shrugged. "I'm fine, I think they just stunned me," he said.

“Whoa, wait a minute there,” Poe said, eyes wide and smile gone. “Let’s start with that middle part. Did you just say that the hyperdrive on Paige’s ship was deliberately sabotaged? Okay, kriff...we’ve got to get some details on that. So, right, we need out of here right now.”

“But first, let’s get Millie back to our rooms. I’m sure she could use some rest and to calm down. And I’ll ask Dr. Kalonia to join us while we talk to General Organa. She can look you over, make sure you’re not hurt anywhere. Stuns can be quite awful.”

He was herding Hux up and out even as he spoke. As they went out the door and by Paige and Jeffers, he turned angry eyes on the other man. “Take the blaster to General Organa, Jeffers,” he ordered. “Now. And Paige, if you could please go to the command center, too, I’d appreciate it. We need to describe what happened to your hyperdrive to General Organa, too.”

Hux nodded. "Yes, it was. It is highly unlikely that a simple wear and tear could slash it the way it was. Nor was it an obvious tear," he said.

Hux petted Millicent behind the ears as he followed Poe.

Jeffers looked annoyed, but complied. Paige went off quickly.

When they got to their room, he put Millicent on the now double bed. He put his clean Order tunic down for her to snuggle in.

Poe now got a look at his face and made a sound of mixed sympathy and regret. “Hugs, your face. They did hurt you.” He stepped forward and reached out to gently touch the split lip. “Aw man, I’m sorry. Come on, let’s get this all straightened out and tell the General about Paige’s ship, too.”

He gave Hux a warm hug, holding on for a minute. “Thanks for saving her life, Hugs. That was a good thing to do.”

Hux shrugged. "I've had worse," he said. He wasn't sure why he didn't hate the concern, though.

Then Poe hugged him and he felt warm. He frowned, but didn't push him away. How was he supposed to process this?

"I do-just don't like-It was broken, so I fixed it." He was falling apart and didn't know how to fix it.

Poe didn’t let go for a second, but patted Hux’s back a few times. “And noticed it was more than just a normal break and letting me know.” He released him regretfully, went over to reassure Millie with a few pets and then turned for the door. 

“Okay, time to tell General Organa everything. Just tell the truth, and we’ll have your troubles straightened out in no time. We can focus on what’s more important then...whoever damaged that hyperdrive.”

Hux couldn't remember experiencing this…or maybe he could. He didn't know, feeling very confused right now. As it was, he couldn't come up with a feasible excuse for notifying him.

"I hope this ankle tracker can record and retrieve my steps to prove I wasn't there to sabotage it myself, because you know they are going to believe it was me," Hux said.

“I don’t,” Poe said, “and since you’re usually with me, I can vouch for all but a few times, when I am sure others saw you.” He took hold of one of Hux’s hands. “Don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this, Hugs. You need to have a little more faith in us. After all, you like me enough to build me my own cool blaster with personal shield. That means a lot to me.”

Hux's cheeks turned pink; he seemed to blush a lot because of this man and his touchy-freely nature was so alien to him. Yet…it was nice. He really hoped that it wasn’t that noticeable to others, but he had a horrible feeling that it was. It would just be his luck.

"Very well," he murmured.

Poe led Hux to the main meeting room, where he knew General Organa and the others would be waiting. He paused briefly outside and said, “Just tell the truth and trust me and the General, okay?” He patted Hux’s chest and did not let go of his hand as they entered the room.

“Commander,” General Organa greeted them instantly. “Mr. Hux.” She gestured to a pair of chairs at the table, where Paige and Jeffers already sat. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

Poe saluted her smartly and said, “Thank you for waiting, General,” and eased himself into a chair. 

She nodded and looked at Hux. “Mr. Hux, Lieutenant Jeffers says you were making a weapon to use against us.” She gestured to the blaster where it sat on the table in front of her. “Would you care to explain?”

Hux nodded. Somehow, he trusted Poe. He felt disorientated and he could feel a migraine coming on, but at least Poe was there.

He sat down warily in the chair and pursed his lips at Leia's words. "No, I wasn't. I was experimenting with miniaturised shielding and the weapon would be for Dameron's use. I doubt he would use it against you," Hux said.

Poe smiled at him and turned to General Organa, “According to Hux, that’s keyed just to my biosignature. Nobody else should be able to use it. Not that Hux should have been messing around with weapons without permission, but there’s no ill intent behind it. It was meant to be a gift for me.” He beamed at Hux and then at Leia.

She looked unimpressed with both of them, but lifted the blaster and noted the biolock. Pointing the blaster at a safe spot, she attempted to use it a couple of times, nodding when the weapon did not discharge. She handed the blaster to Poe. “Alright, Commander, show me.”

Poe stood and held to blaster to a safe spot, checking that it was on stun again. He fired the weapon, which discharged without problem. He grinned and asked Hux, “How does the shield work?”

Hux watched with curiosity, though he rubbed his forehead as a migraine was starting to come on. He felt like something was coming to him, but it was like trying to see underwater.

It took him a moment to realise Poe was asking a question. "The blue button on the side," he responded quietly.

He rested his cheek against his knuckle, elbow on the table.

“Hux?” Poe asked, setting the blaster back down, noting that the other man was zoning out at something critically important to his future. “What’s wrong?” He glanced over at Leia and the others at the table, hoping they would not be upset.

Hux blinked and looked at Poe before shaking his head, straightening up. "Nothing," he lied. "Just warm."

He had a feeling that Poe wouldn't buy it and grimaced. "I don't know what is wrong," he said.

Poe glanced at Leia and asked, “May I take him to Dr. Kalonia? I think we’ve shown Hux isn’t of immediate worry. Whatever his intentions, they weren’t malicious. But I’ll be right back because Hux believes that Paige’s hyperdrive was deliberately sabotaged.”

Leia straightened up and said, “I’ll have Dr. Kalonia fetched. Mr. Hux, can you explain about the sabotage? Or do you need to be checked first?”

"I've worked through worse. The hyper drive was damaged in a way that might look accidental, especially since none of you would expect sabotage…but I know mechanics and technology like the back of my hand and have experimented a lot in my time," Hux said.

"Miss. Tico, do you have reason to believe anyone would do this to you?" Hux asked.

Paige shook her head. "No, not really," she replied.

"How do we know it wasn't you or a First Order spy?" Jeffers asked.

Hux groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why would I point it out if I did it? And the only x wing I have worked on that is in active duty is Commander Dameron's and his droid, if not himself, were presumably thorough in their checks," Hux said.

"As for the spy suggestion, no, we have no active spies. My father experimented with sleeper agents, but after those experiments failed terribly, he refused any further attempts, as did I…" Hux explained, then went pale as something niggled at him.

Poe said, “General, I propose you assign several people you trust to do a complete sweep of the base to check for any other signs of sabotage.”

Leia nodded her agreement. “Lieutenant Tico, also detail the damage done to your hyperdrive and the repairs you made. It’s an after-the-fact documentation now, but better than nothing. Mr. Hux, I am concerned that you didn’t feel the need to report that the hyperdrive damage looked deliberate to begin with. Do you care to explain that choice?”

At that moment, Dr. Kalonia entered and asked, “Who is my patient?”

Poe pointed at Hux and said, “He’s shaky and not looking very well. Paler even than usual.”

She nodded and came over to examine him.

Hux looked at Leia seriously. "For the same reason I didn't talk about my experimental weapon: I would be suspect. You have to know that I would be the first suspect," he answered.

The doctor came over to him and he couldn't help but stiffen. She took his chin to shine a light in his eyes, which made him wince.

Leia sighed and shook her head. “Not telling us is also suspect. Next time, please tell me directly. I’ll take your fears into account.” She looked back to Poe. “You will do the sweep of all of our ships, Commander. I will assign different people for other areas.” She would ask other trusted members to look for signs of sabotage privately. Her eyes turned to the other people in the room. “This information will not leave this room, understood?”

Poe nodded and said, “Yes, General,” but his eyes were on Kalonia where she examined Hux.

“Please describe your symptoms,” she said, even as she scanned his head.

Hux nodded reluctantly. He felt surprisingly little feeling like he had betrayed himself, though it remained to be seen whether or not this was the First Order, somehow.

He moved backwards, the doctor's ministrations feeling a little too familiar even if there was (presumably) no threat.

"My head hurts. I feel like I'm seeing memories through water," he said.

"I feel like I'm missing something," Hux said.

“Please stay still, Mr. Hux,” Dr. Kalonia said and continued her scan of his head, expression serious. “I am getting some strange readings. I would like to take Mr. Hux to the Medbay for a more complete set of tests.”

Poe looked concerned at the words and glanced at Hux. “You didn’t say you were feeling bad before. Did this just happen? May I go with them?”

Leia glanced between Kalonia and Hux and Poe, before saying, “Yes, please escort Hux to Medbay with Dr. Kalonia. But I need you back here once that’s done.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Poe said and offered Hux an arm.

Hux grimaced, having never cared for this sort of fussing and it was only giving him a headache. The idea of going to the medbay panicked him, but he found he was relieved when Poe was allowed to join him.

He stood up, hating the fuss, but there was little use he could be put to like this. It was only getting worse.

"...What sorts of tests are you going to run?" Hux asked. He stuck close to Poe.

Dr Kalonia said, “I want to do a full set of head scans. Your brain is recording unusual activity that my screens don’t recognize. I’d prefer to not try and treat your pain until I know what is causing it. I also need to ask you some questions. Commander Dameron can stay, if you prefer. I’ll tell the General that you requested his presence. I need you relaxed so as not to exacerbate your condition and to facilitate telling me the truth.”

Poe supported him gently and helped him along. “Dr. Kalonia is the best, Hugs. Please let her help you.”

If he wasn't feeling so bad, he'd be alarmed at how much he just wanted to curl against Poe. As it was, he took the support offered and hoped there were few people about.

"Very well," Hux said, resigned.

When they got to the medbay, he sat in the proffered chair.

Poe took a seat next to Hux and took one of his hands, squeezing reassuringly. 

Dr. Kalonia checked in with the General and brought back a small tray of tools. “Tell me when these recent symptoms started, please,” she said, beginning a more full scan of his head. Her face was calm and cool, very professional as she worked.

Hux focused on his breathing for a few moments before answering. "It was sometime after I was stunned. I was fine before that," he replied.

He looked down at his hand in Poe's before looking at him too, but didn't pull away.

He found himself wanting to just curl up in bed.

“Do you get headaches often?” Dr. Kalonia asked. She made a few notes on her pad as she scanned, focusing on a few specific areas of Hux’s skull. “There are some indicators here. And though stuns can have aftereffects, this kind of headache is not really one of them. There are areas of your brain that are active which are seldom active in the human brain.”

Poe barely refrained from squeezing Hux’s hand too hard, since he didn’t want to betray his nerves. He wanted to ask for details, but it was Hux’s question, not his.

"...Usually I only get headaches after the Supreme Leader or Ren have used the Force on me," Hux said quietly. He didn't like to talk about such weakness, but there was little use hiding it.

"What do you mean? I am a human from Arkanis," Hux said.

“That’s what I mean,” Dr. Kalonia said. “I have seen activity in these areas before...in Force users. I had not heard you were a Force user, Mr. Hux. Nor have I ever heard of the Force suddenly activating in a person.” She held up a small pill. “Do you have any drug allergies I need to know about? If not, I recommend this general painkiller to start.”

Poe discovered his mouth was gaping and slowly closed his mouth. “A Force user?”

Hux paled a little. He hadn't realised that it could be seen in his head, though medicine wasn't his area of expertise. "I do-don't know what you're talking about," he said quietly, though he inwardly winced because even his lie about his name had been a better lie.

He took the painkiller. "No allergies," he said, taking the glass of water too and swallowing both the pill and the water.

Poe glanced at Kalonia and then back at Hux. “Hugs?” he asked softly. “You can trust us. Dr. Kalonia took an oath. And I won’t tell on you.”

She nodded and said, “If you want this information to be confidential, you just need to tell me. Doctor-patient confidentiality is a thing. And all of the information you can tell me will help me correctly treat you.” 

Hux pursed his lips and sighed. "Alright, I am…some sort of Force user, but I just tend to use it to suppress my presence and protect my mind...soothe an occasional nightmare. I did used to work under Snoke and his manchild apprentice…" Hux said.

"I don't think my headache is related to it, though," Hux said tiredly. "It feels a little like I'm trying to remember something. But I don't think even my…gift...with the Force could suppress any, so I don't know what there is to remember."

Kalonia said, “Remembering something. That could explain the headache, if your brain is trying to break through some kind of block. Given you worked with two of the most powerful Dark Force users, could they have done something to your mind that you wouldn’t be aware of?”

Hux frowned. "I don't know. My knowledge of the Force is limited to what I can do or have seen. I know things can be lifted, minds can be sifted through…if there's no block like I have formed or push back like Rey. Pain, choking…soothing. But memory tampering? You might want to ask your General, I don't know about that," Hux said.

"Of course, it is possible with technology, it was used in the Storm trooper programme, but I was raised to rise through the ranks and become General," Hux said.

Kalonia asked, “Would you allow either General Organa or Rey to take a look at your mind and see if they can detect a Force influence? That will help determine my treatment for you and how you might be able to treat yourself, if you do have the Force.”

Poe stared openly at Hux with a little smile. What a surprising man he continued to prove to be. Force sensitive...and with blocked memories?

Hux took a deep breath and found himself looking at Poe. "And you trust General Organa completely?" He asked quietly. He'd had no real reason to doubt, but it was his nature to be wary.

He'd been betrayed enough times to know that he shouldn't be quick to let his guard down.

And being in such a state, he couldn’t exactly think straight,

“With your life, as well as my own,” Poe pledged. “I’ll be right there, if you’ll let me. And if you need to stop, you can.”

Kalonia nodded and said, “There’s no use doing anything that will cause you more trauma. Is the headache fading?” She set aside the scanner and finished some more notes.

Hux nodded. "Then I will allow her assistance," he said. "She has longer knowledge of the ways of the Force. I am wary of letting someone as raw and new as Rey is. Her presence may be light, but there's an underlying similarity to Ren. Crude and untamed."

"It is only a dull thrum. The painkiller worked fast," Hux replied. "Would General Organa join us here?"

Dr. Kalonia nodded and said, “I’ll comm her and request her assistance in diagnosing your Force ailment, if that’s what it is. I am sure she will be most interested and come right away.” She stepped to a distance from the pair to make the call to General Organa.

Poe pressed in closer to Hux, eyes wide with concern and sympathy. “Are you feeling better, Hux? You look less pale, at least. Less bruised in the eyes.” He lifted a hand and made a gentle stroke just under Hux’s left eye. “You really looked like you were hurting, and it came on so suddenly.”

Hux nodded to the doctor. He turned when Poe moved closer, looking at him uncertainly. "I feel a little better. If this has happened before, I don't remember," Hux murmured.

He almost wanted to tilt his head into Poe's touch, but something held him back. He felt like he was so far away from the man he was when he was taken by Poe and it scared him a little.

Poe wished Hux were a little more certain about things, but said confidently, “I’m sure General Organa will help put you to rights, Hugs. She’s pretty awesome.”

“And she’ll be here in a few minutes,” Dr Kalonia said. “She is both concerned and intrigued by what I told her.”

“See, you’ll have answers in a few minutes.” Poe looked at Hux, almost shyly and definitely with a hint of plea. “May I stay? And hold your hand?”

Hux swallowed, looking at their hands and struggling to remember if he had ever had such contact. Probably not. His father had never been warm and he barely remembered his mother.

He nodded. “Okay,” he said.

He was a little concerned how this would look, but he supposed by now he should know that Poe wasn’t worried about how his friends would react.

Poe beamed at Hux and gently took his right hand. “If you need to squeeze or anything when the General examines you, please don’t hesitate. Even hard, if that helps.”

At that moment, General Organa entered, noted the joined hands with a quick flick of her eyes, and strolled over to the pair. “Mr. Hux, Dr. Kalonia tells me your mind may have been Force tampered with. I may be able to help you, if you allow.”

Hux was lucky that Dr. Kalonia was in the room because he had to fight down a wave of emotion and he didn’t know how to feel about that. It had always been a sign of weakness, especially to his father, but Poe seemed to be all about emotion and it seemed contagious.

And he was only half as embarrassed about being seen holding hands with Poe as he would expect. He fought the urge to move away when Organa came in.

He still felt a little wary, but he nodded in response to Organa’s words. “Dameron trusts you, so...I suppose it will be alright,” he said.

General Organa rewarded Poe with a soft smile and said, “I will not break your trust...or his. I will need to gently probe your mine, and you may be aware of my doing so. If it ever feels too much, you need only to tell me, and I will stop. Do you understand?”

Dr. Kalonia set-up a few instruments to record the proceedings and then faded back again to give them some privacy.

Poe squeezed Hux’s hand to remind him he was there, too, but also kept quiet. This was really between Leia and Hux.

Hux nodded. “I understand. In comparison to what I am used to, I suppose this will be nothing,” he said.

He squeezed Poe’s hand back, shuffling out the nerves as he closed his eyes, relaxed himself and opened his mind.

Leia held her hands over Hux’s head and closed her own eyes, both ways of helping herself concentrate. She did not have as much experience with this as her son or brother, but her care guided her actions, as she eased herself into Hux’s mind to assess. She concentrated and carefully probed, before making a small gasp. “Yes, there is a block here,” she said softly. “And by someone more powerful than my son. It has begun to break, as you are far away now from the one who placed it, so it has not been reinforced. May I try to break it?”

Poe’s expression hardened at the thought of someone damaging Hux’s mind like that, prompting him to squeeze gently again.

Hux could feel the probe, also the feeling like she was poking at a closed door. It wasn’t painful, but it was an odd feeling. Someone brushing it with feathers as opposed to the sheers he was used to.

He frowned. The only one he knew that was stronger than her son was Snoke.

“Yes, go ahead,” he said.

Her initial probe, though, did seem to bring something to the surface, some strange glowy tree and he squeezed Poe’s hand in alarm, accidentally projecting the image into his mind too. Not painfully, though.


	8. Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprising turn of events through a shocking revelation might just bring some people closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> So this chapter has some slight reference to past abuse. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Poe made a startled noise, both at the image in his mind and at knowing what it was. But he kept any other reaction to himself, not wanting to interrupt.

Leia pushed a bit harder, pressing at the cracks in the block Snoke had created. The stun had also weakened them somehow, perhaps because some of Hux’s Force ability (and she could feel that now, too) had reacted to the blast. The block resisted, tremored, but slowly, slowly, began to break up. And behind it, she suddenly became aware of something monumental, something unbelievable. The Force flared between herself and Hux (not Hux) and the remaining block didn’t so much crumble, as shatter. She staggered back, falling into a chair more by luck than design, eyes wide.

“You’re a Skywalker. You’re Luke’s baby boy! Huxley!”

Hux wasn’t controlled enough to say anything after he accidentally shared, trying to keep steady for the next wave. When Organa broke the block, he squeezed Poe’s hands again with a whimper. It didn’t hurt, but it was overwhelming. Like trying to open his eyes when he’s soaked in the rain.

And even when she pulled away, it still poured through him. He caught glimpses of people, a young boy with black hair, someone who looked awfully like a younger Organa and a younger...Skywalker? X-wings, blueprints, a woman, some droids…

He was breathing deeply by the time it settled. Organa had spoken...he shifted back through his memory to realise what she said.

He frowned. “What? That’s...that’s impossible,” he said, but uncertainty was there.

Poe gaped between them both, but snapped his jaw closed and leaned into Hux to try and calm him. “It’s alright, Hugs...Huxley?” He glanced at Leia and asked, though her face told him the story, “You’re sure about this?”

“Yes,” she said, eyes just as wide as Hux’s and Poe’s. “I- I can feel it now. I couldn’t before. But-oh, you’re my nephew.” Her wise old eyes filled with tears as she stared at Hux-Huxley. “I would know you anywhere now. Your coloring...it’s Mara Jade’s. She’s been gone so long now, over twenty years, but your mother...I can see her in you now.”

Hux stared ahead of him, shocked and confused. If he was a Skywalker, then Brendol was...not the man that he thought he was. He found himself hunching over and closing his eyes as he tried to make some sense of it all. It meant that Leia was his aunt. It meant that he was stolen.

“Brendol Hux stole me and shaped me into what I am, made me believe I was five years older and scolded me for my immaturity,” Hux said.

“I need to lie down, I can’t...this is too much...all of the memories,” Hux said.

“Of course,” Poe said, ignoring both doctor and Leia, too worried about his new friend to care about anything else. “Lie down.” He eased the other man into the pillows and smoothed a hand over his forehead. “Do you need something else?”

Leia stood and approached the opposite side of the bed, smiling a little through the continued mists in her eyes, and reached out for her nephew, before pulling her hands back. “I may be able to ease some of the strain, allow the memories to integrate more smoothly. If you allow?”

Dr. Kalonia said from her place on the other side of the room, reading the information the machines provided, “I would recommend it. You're operating under a tremendous strain right now.”

Hux followed Poe’s guidance, even if he wanted nothing more than to hide in their shared room. But he was too overwhelmed by the surge of memories that he’d apparently been forced to forget that he had no other option. He curled up on his side, having enough mind to kick his shoes off the side. He hid his face in his hands, fighting the urge to cry.

“Okay,” Hux said, muffled by his hands.

Leia nodded and reached out with her hands again, using the Force to try and ease the flow of memories, to make them something manageable. “I’m going to help you get to sleep,” she said. “As you sleep, your mind can process the memories. When you wake, you should have all of them again, without it being so overwhelming. You may sleep for several days, though. Will that be alright?”

“We’ll look after you,” Poe pledged softly.

Hearing he could be asleep for several days, he moved his hands and looked worried. “Here? But what if more like Jeffers come...I’ll be vulnerable,” Hux said, starting to panic. Nephew or not, there would always be some who would ignore commands to get to him.

“I’ll stay with you,” Poe promised immediately. “And I’m sure General Organa will make sure you’re protected otherwise. We can bring Millie here, too, right Doc? Then you can feel safe.” He smoothed a hand through Huxley’s hair, trying to soothe him. “I wasn’t going to let them hurt you when you were a First Order General. Think I will now?”

“You have duties, you can’t be here all of the time…” Hux said. He felt himself calm, though, at the contact. Strange because he hadn’t cared for contact before. “Bring Millicent, though. She’s probably worried.”

Leia said, “I assign Poe his duties and until you wake, his duty is to watch over you. We’ll get someone else to do the rest, including looking for the one who sabotaged Paige’s ship. I know it wasn’t you...I can feel it.” She smiled through another brace of tears. “May I tell my brother about you, Huxley, now that we know where he is? I can communicate with Rey…” She hoped fiercely that he wouldn’t mind because his presence alone would bring Luke back from his lonely exile.

“See, you’ll be safe. I’m sure the General will stand guard a few extra moments while I get Millie and her stuff.”

Hux relaxed, feeling relieved. “Okay. Yes, you can...contact him,” he said, trying to hide how overwhelmed he felt. Suddenly the man he’d thought was his father wasn’t and a man who was a jedi Ren was after...was his father.

He didn’t know quite how to feel, but it seemed futile to him now, to hold onto information that could help the Resistance.

Poe squeezed Hux’s hand again, before quickly standing and rushing to their shared rooms to snag Millie, her litterbox, some toys, food, and her crate. He ended up having to recruit a lieutenant to help him carry everything. 

As Poe fetched Millicent, Leia said to Hux, “I know this is hard to take in, for me, as well as you. But I cannot tell you how happy this makes me...how happy I believe it will make my brother. Losing you and Ben is what broke him, especially after Mara died. You will be a spark for him, far brighter than any he has known for years. For me, too. After what your mind has been put through, we may rightly argue for your pardon along many lines.” She reached for the hand opposite the one Poe had held. “May I?”

Hux listened, working through what was real and what was lies. His whole life was a lie and yet he wasn't sure how easy the learned behaviour would fade.

But he nodded when she asked to take his hand.

"I don't know what will happen," he said.

“Nobody knows that,” Leia assured him and squeezed gently, smiling at the connection between them, the flaring in the Force. “We can only do our best to make the future what we would desire for ourselves and for others.” She dropped her eyes a moment, before raising them again. “I know I have been your aunt only for the space of a few moments, but I have also been Poe’s almost-mother for years now may I ask...are you interested in him?”

Hux was quite glad that he wasn’t drinking or in any position to embarrass himself in such a way because he was most definitely shocked by Leia’s question. His hand covered his eyes.

“I don’t...know. He’s been...kind...I don’t understand him,” Hux said.

Even before this revelation, Poe had been treating him far too nice considering where he’d come from.

Leis just smiled at him, feeling his uncertainty, as well as his affection for Poe.

“It’s alright to be unsure. A lot of things are changing under your feet all at once. And you know Poe won’t push, though I’m sure he cares for you rather deeply already.” She patted his hand and squeezed again. “He’s a good man, Huxley. The best I’ve ever met in how much he cares for others.”

Hux frowned, confusion and surprise there.

“Deeply? I don’t...why would he?” He said.

It wasn’t like he himself had been overly kind to Poe, though he’d at least gotten less hostile with time. And Poe seemed to be close with a few people, so this was impossible.

Leia just shook her head and said, “That’s for him to tell you someday,” before looking toward the door as Poe and the lieutenant burst in with Millicent and all her things.

“Where are we going, doc?” he asked Kalonia.

“This way,” she said. “General Organa. Mr. uh...Skywalker? I’ve set-up one of the long-term care rooms for your use. It’s private, and you can use it as long as you need with your menagerie.” She included Poe in that word, but he just grinned happily at her and went where directed.

“Shall we see where you’ll get your rest, Huxley?” Leia asked, gesturing for Hux to get out of bed and follow Poe, the doctor and the lieutenant (not to mention the squalling cat).

Hux got out of the bed and followed Poe into the room, taking Millicent, who started rubbing at him. He got into the bed, shuffling onto his side, cat quite comfortable in his arms.

“Okay, so, uh...I’m ready, I suppose,” Hux said.

Poe took a seat out of the way, but where he could still be in Hux’s easy view. He offered a warm smile at the other man, but otherwise stayed quiet, not wanting to interfere.

Leia took the chair next to the bed and said, “Please try to relax. I will try to ease your mind and let you sleep while you process all of the memories and feelings now released to you. So lie back, and I’ll make as much of an effort as possible to be quick and gentle.”

Hux relaxed himself, thankful to have his cat (and Poe, but he wasn’t sure what to think of that one) with him. He closed his eyes.

“Okay, go ahead,” he said.

He couldn’t help but reach his hand out towards Poe, almost shyly.

Poe took the hand quickly and gratefully, pressing a quick kiss to the knuckles and a wink at Hux. He gave Leia a little ‘naughty boy’ grin when she shook her head at him, but she was fond, not really scolding.

“Here we go,” she said and reached out her mind for Huxley’s again, searching out the surge of memories. She tried to stem the tide, to ease it back into something more manageable, especially by a brain at rest. “Be easy.”

Hux closed his eyes, hoping he wasn’t going pink at that. He didn’t know why it affected him so.

He felt Leia’s gentle touch, lulling him into a sleep. The memories slowed down and he was able to dream them at a relaxed rate.

One such memory was that of him at a desk aged nine, sketching ideas, one such one looking similar to Starkiller, but notes about terraforming. He was trying to create something that would rejuvenate barren planets. He’d had more interest in intellectual and engineering pursuits than Jedi ones.

Poe smiled at Leia as Hux(ley?) eased into slumber and kept hold of the hand he’d been offered. “Are you alright, General?” he asked with appropriate seriousness.

“Yes, Poe, I’m better than alright. I haven’t felt this kind of hope in a long time And you’ve done more than your part in making that possible,” she said, looking at the joined hands. “Please continue to look after him while he rests. He trusts you more than anyone else.” She sighed and slowly stood. “I will return later. Duties never end.”

“Of course, General,” Poe said and saluted once with his free hand. He watched her walk out and then reached out to pet Millie. “He’ll be alright, girl. Better than. He’s going to be himself.”

Millicent purred as Poe stroked her, snuggled up to Hux as he slept. Sometimes he would twitch or say something, but otherwise his sleep was pretty peaceful. A lot of his real childhood memories came back to him, which were far nicer than the ones that had replaced them.

Poe kicked off his own boots and settled his feet on the bed near his friend, keeping hold of his hand. He leaned deep into the chairback and sighed a little in contentment.

“Guess you and I can get a little sleep, too, Millie. We’ll just have to make sure to not get so comfy we can’t respond if Hugs needs us. You promise to keep watch with me, kitty?” He smiled at the cat, loving her, too.

Millicent made a noise in response, settling into a position where she could see the door.

As time went on, Hux was dreaming about his memories and when Poe was asleep, a connection opened. One such memory was him and other children being escorted through the monochromic halls of one of the First Order’s ships and brought before a red-headed General.

One of the officers who had brought them spoke to the General. “Sir, we have Skywalker’s child.”

“Good. Bring him along, the rest go into the trooper programme,” he said.

Young Hux waited until there were less people around him as he was escorted behind who he would soon know to be Brendol Hux to make his escape. He Force slammed the two beside him before darting off and finding a vent to go through.

Unfortunately for him, Knights of Ren had no issue retrieving him or keeping hold of him even as he violently fought against them.

“You know, we could have done this the easy way, but not anymore,” Brendol said.

The connection cut as Hux curled in on himself.

Poe startled himself awake at the connection snapping closed and sat upright so fast he almost fell off the chair. He still held on to Hux’s hand and was relieved to find him still asleep. His glance moved to Millie.

“Sorry, girl. I think I had a nightmare...but it was so vivid. And it was of your person.” He rubbed his forehead with his free hand a few times. “I think it was a nightmare…”

He leaned slowly back again and relaxed into another bit of a nap.

Hux saw another memory, none of them in particular order, but they would eventually settle. This one had Hux at twenty-five, though to the First Order, he was thirty, and he was newly appointed General. Colonel Pryde came to him with a young girl of about sixteen in tow. Young, but she was clearly Jessika Pava.

“Your father was adamant we don’t implement the sleeper programme, but we have made some real improvements on it. Even--” Pryde started.

“No, I agree with my father, it should stay buried. The last ones you tried became too attached to their hosts and we had to put them down. They are a security risk, so cease and desist,” Hux said.

Pryde clearly wasn’t impressed but he nodded and walked off. Of course, later Hux would find himself before Snoke and that little memory repressed.

Poe twitched in his sleep, the sight of Jess seared into his mind. But it wasn’t enough to wake him, not yet. The dreams twining them together pulled them closer, and he eased himself toward the other man as they slept. 

The memories went on, sometimes backtracking to childhood ones, but after about three days of it, he was close to waking. Hux had moved in such a way that left some space in the bed and Millicent slyly encouraged Poe to lie down there next to him.

Poe had been awake on and off during the three days, with General Organa waking him once from a particularly vivid shared dream. When he’d described what had happened and what he had seen (especially with Jess), she’d performed a Force check on his mind and found that there was a bond forming between himself and Huxley. They debated his leaving and letting someone else watch over her nephew, but Poe had been vehement that he had to keep his promise to the other man. And for now, that the bond should be left. They could talk that over with Huxley when he woke.

When the other man woke up this time, Poe had managed to shove himself onto the cot as much as possible (part of his ass hung off in an awkward fashion). His cheek was mashed to Huxley’s neck and both arms were wrapped tight around him. Really, despite being awake, he felt no desire to move. So he let Huxley know this, by ‘feeling’ it at him through their new bond.

Hux woke up slowly and the first thing he noticed was the feeling of being warm and comfortable. Safe. Which was an odd contrast to what he noticed next, the feeling of arms around him. He felt almost trapped, but without the usual feelings that came with it. There was something soothing him and his eyes fluttered open.

He could see dark curly hair in his peripheral and realised Poe was holding him. And his own arm had hooked over Poe, too, as if trying to keep him there.

He felt his cheeks warm when he realised that Poe was awake.

He cleared his throat, struggling for words. “I...I...uh, did I trap you?” He asked.

What was he supposed to say here?

“Do I feel trapped?” Poe asked in a voice made warm and husky from sleep. “I’m very comfortable, Hugs. Are you?” He didn’t shift away or closer to the other man, but kept himself still and radiated contentment. “I think Millie is rather comfortable, too. I have this vague idea she was pawing at me until I lay down next to you.”

Hux couldn’t hold back the shiver as Poe’s voice was so close and his breath tickled his throat. He knew he likely had some stubble from being asleep for so long, but he had never been one to grow it as fast as others, though it still bothered him. He found himself needing to stretch a little, which ended with him rolling onto his back and bringing Poe with him.

“Hm?” He murmured.

Despite sleeping so long, he still felt tired. He hadn’t fallen asleep again, but for a moment he thought he had.

“I’m comfortable,” Hux murmured, a little shy.

Millicent mewed.

Poe shifted back to his side and laid his arm over Hux’s upper chest again. He cradled Hux and said, “I’m glad. You slept a long time. Do you feel better? Your memories have settled?” He paused a beat, unsure, before continuing, “I shared some of them with you, Hugs.”

Hux rubbed at his face with his free hand. “No headache, though tired...as if I haven’t slept enough,” he said. “My fa--” But he wasn’t, was he? “Brendol would have my hide if I had slept this long.”

That made him raise his head. “What?!” Hux asked. “...Shared? How? What?”

“Oh, you didn’t know,” Poe said softly. “You’ve been asleep for over three days, Hugs. And I fell asleep with you that first night and...well, Leia says you forged a bit of a Forcebond with me. It was probably to help your mind deal with all of the images, but it meant in the times I was asleep, we shared dreams...memories.” He felt his own cheeks flush with the intimacy of what he was saying. “Emotions. I-I’m pretty sure you could feel I was content when you woke up. I’m pretty sure I tried to share the feeling with you.”

Hux paled and then blushed. He closed his eyes, rubbing them with his fingers. He was silent as he felt it, traced it back and processed it. “...No, I don’t think it started then. I don’t know a lot about this kind of bond, but I’m not sure it could have passively started with only one Force sensitive...at least, I don’t feel your being one, but then, I have hidden myself,” Hux said.

“I think it may have started that night you had a nightmare about Ren...I was tired and I…” Hux said, biting his lip. Given what Ren had done to him, Hux wasn’t sure Poe would be so nice to him as he had been up until now. He didn’t consciously do it, but he ended up turning on his side, away from Poe, curling up on himself.

“I looked into your thoughts and then used my gift to soothe your mind,” Hux admitted.

Poe blinked a few times at this news, before he smiled at the other man, feeling warmed by the confession.

“You helped me. And now, I’ve been able to help you. At least, I hope I was able to help you. You do still look a little tired, but much better. And I sense that you feel better. Are you better?” He stroked Hux’s hair a moment, before reaching out to pet Millie, too.

Hux felt no anger, something he’d come to expect throughout his life, maybe something he needed to unlearn. He moved back to lying on his back. He looked at Poe, feeling both at a loss (or, rather, confused) and safe. His eyes closed and he couldn’t quite stifle the surprised sound at Poe stroking his hair.

“Somewhat, but…” Hux said, before sighing. “I’ve done so many bad things.”

“You were kidnapped, reconditioned, abused and twisted,” Poe said fiercely. “These are all mitigating factors. And now...if you want, you can spend your life fighting against the evil in the galaxy.” He scooted a little to look down into the other man’s face, smiling warmly at him. “And they didn’t take all of the good out of you, did they? You still loved Millie and wanted her safe and near you. You’re actually quite sweet, aren’t you?”

Hux knew he was right; now that he remembered it all, he knew he was doing what he thought was right because it was how he was programmed. He couldn’t help but blush as Poe’s face was so close and his words. He cleared his throat. “I wouldn’t say that,” he groused. “Millicent was the only one I could trust.”

And now she wasn’t the only one, but he wasn’t sure he could voice that just yet.

“Hugs,” Poe reprimanded softly and leaned down and brushed his lips over the other man’s forehead. “Don’t belittle yourself. Especially not now.” He stroked fingers over his cheek. “You know you called yourself Huxley when we met. In my X-wing, when I was bringing you here. I said you were lying, and you thought you were, but I wonder if some part of you already knew the truth and was trying to tell us both. I’m still calling you Hugs, though, cause it’s the way I want to treat you.”

Hux closed his eyes, heart thumping. He’d never felt like this around anyone. Was this...was Leia right? But Poe couldn’t possibly…could he? He was surely just being nice; Poe was nice to everyone. And he was just so…broken.

“I suppose it is a possibility,” Hux admitted. He hadn’t thought of that.

“Feel well enough to get up and speak to the General? I know she has news for you...about your father. And I know she’s eager to hear how you’re feeling. Dr. Kalonia will probably want to check you over, too. But...if you’re not ready, we can rest for a bit longer,” Poe said. “I’m sure this is a lot for you.”

“I think I can do all of that,” Hux said quietly, easing himself up into a sitting position. “I’d like to freshen up first, though.”

“Thank you...for looking after me,” Hux said.

He had been unkind to Poe from the start, minus some things he did for the other man, but some of that was because he had been bored.

Poe rolled right off the side of the bed to his feet and said, “Of course. I need to get a change of clothes and a quick wash-up, too. You okay if I leave you under Dr. Kalonia’s eye until I do? She’s trustworthy, and I’m sure she’ll have some tests to perform before either the General or I get back. But if you want, I’ll wait until you’re done and then wash here. I have a set of clean clothes still here.” He smiled at the other man. “Say, uh, Hugs...I mean, I know I’ve been calling you Hugs and you probably don’t like that, but...do you want to be called Huxley or well, Skywalker? Cause Skywalker, that’s a pretty cool name.”

Hux moved so that his feet were on the floor. “Hm. Maybe I could freshen up in our quarters?” He asked. At the question about his name, he shook his head. “I don’t...mind it, at least from you.”

Poe beamed at him and said, “You’re going to get your name now, you know.” He marched over to Huxley and tugged him into a firm, sweet hug. “Thank you, Hugs. It means a lot to me.” He cleared his throat and stepped away.

“Okay, that’s fine, too. We’ll just have to tell the Doc. And let General Organa know. We can’t take too long, though. There’s a lot of questions that need answers, and it’d be good for you to be in the best shape you can before your dad gets here. It should be soon, you know.”

Hux managed to just about squeeze him back lightly before he moved away and he realised he liked receiving hugs from Poe.

“That’s fine. I just need...somewhere more familiar,” Hux said.

He stood up, picking Millicent up as he did. He spotted his great coat, which someone must have retrieved, and rifled through it. He sighed in relief; the datapad was still there. He took the coat too, since it comforted Millicent and he needed the datapad. There was a lot to do.

Poe checked in with Dr. Kalonia and the General through their comms channel and then disappeared into the refresher long enough to make himself presentable for strolling through the base. “Alright, we’ve got an hour. Let’s make the most of it.” He grinned at the sight of Millie curled up in the great coat, both of them carried by Huxley. 

“You know, when word gets out about who you really are, that will change a lot of things. And not just for you.”

Hux walked with Poe and looked at him. “You think that my being the long lost son of their former hero will stop them wanting to kill me?” Hux asked. “Some might believe it to be a story made up to try and convince them that I am to be trusted.”

He was always thinking about different scenarios; he likely sounded cynical, but he was being realistic.

“Hugs,” Poe said with a shake of his head. “We’re not going to think that. Especially when Luke Skywalker himself shows up to see you. And yes, it will change how your time with the Order will be interpreted. I guess...does it change how you see it? Having your real memories now? I imagine the General will want you to talk to some docs about that. Head docs, I mean.”

Hux was quiet for a few moments as he thought about it. “I feel...betrayed, I think. I suppose it will take some time to get my head around it. That I shouldn’t be loyal to them,” Hux said. He ran a hand through his hair, grimacing at how greasy it was. “But I...am going to share what knowledge I can.”

It felt a little like he had lost, but logically he knew that was the old, conditioned part of him.

The knowledge that Huxley would now willingly share information on the Order delighted Poe, but it wasn’t the important part...not really. Huxley’s wellbeing and his sense of belonging were.

“Yeah, just...don’t be afraid to feel what you feel, right?” Poe asked. “Nobody here will judge you. Especially not me. And I’m willing to listen to whatever you want to tell me. But somebody who’s trained will be better to help you.” 

Hux wanted to do something to show his gratitude towards the other man, but he wasn’t sure how. His mind wandered back to Leia’s words. She made it sound a little like she thought there was something...romantic?...in one or both of them. He certainly wasn’t sure. He didn’t know what it was to feel such feelings. And Poe couldn’t...he surely had someone else. He was too handsome and kind to be single.

He nodded. “Okay,” he said.


	9. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux remembers everything now, but it is a lot to take in. And he rather trusts Poe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another!

When they got to their quarters, he noted the double bed Poe had ordered before Hux had needed to spend time in the med bay. He put his coat and cat down on it, retrieved some clothes and went to the refresher, locking the door before taking a shower. That took a bit of time, considering he had to sit at the bottom for a bit to calm himself.

He dried himself off and got dressed, leaving the fresher to sit down on the little chair in the room. “Poe, I...need help,” he said, finally. He pointed at his stubble with a shaky hand. “I need a steady hand and I…” Why was he like this? What had happened to the strong and capable General that he was, even if he no longer was apart of that nor wanted to be?

Poe came instantly to his side and knelt down, taking Huxley’s hands in both of his. “Hey. It’s alright. You’re alright.” He tilted his head to look at his friend with wide, concerned eyes. “Are you alright?” He pressed closer to try and share some warmth with the shaking man and then tugged at him, urging him to join Poe on the ground, so he could wrap him in a strong, warm hug. “What’s wrong? I mean-I know there’s a lot going on, but did it just hit you all at once?”

Hux let him coax him onto the floor and let out a small whimper at the hug, but not in the way that meant he didn’t like it. He rested his head on Poe’s shoulder tentatively. “My head’s settled, I remember everything. Even things that I hadn’t been Force-repressed, but I had simply pushed away,” Hux said quietly.

“I don’t know who I am anymore. It’s like a battle in my head. Being a General in the First Order was...Brendol shaped me for twenty years for that. But the First Order is wrong. I realise that now,” Hux said.

“Starkiller wasn’t supposed to kill planets. It was supposed to rejuvenate them. He took that and made me weaponise it,” Hux said.

He didn’t know when it started, but suddenly he was crying.

Poe made noises of sympathy and comfort and rocked him back-and-forth in his arms. He stroked his hair and back with gentle fingers, not wanting to discourage him from crying (as he thought it might be good for him), but definitely wanting to offer as much support as possible. He settled back to let Huxley rest his full weight on him. 

“You don’t have to figure out everything at once,” he soothed. “Take the time you need. I’ll be here as long as you want me.”

Hux allowed himself to press against him, arms wrapped around him and face pressed into Poe’s shoulder. It felt warm and...so good. He wanted so badly to just stay here, because while meeting his real father again was a good thing and he needed to talk to Dr. Kalonia and Leia...this was more comfortable.

“Th-thank you,” he whimpered.

It took time, but he had managed to calm himself down to just steady breathing. His forehead pressed lightly against Poe’s throat, feeling the warmth there.

“You’re my friend,” Poe assured him softly and held him there, “so there’s no need to thank me. I’m happy to do this for you.” He enjoyed the feel of the other man in his arms and struggled to keep his touches merely friendly. Huxley wasn’t ready to have a romantic entanglement thrown into his life, especially now. Poe would content himself to be a supporting friend, until such time as the other man had time to deal with all of the upheaval in his life.

Hux moved slightly so that it was his chin/throat resting against the other man’s so that he could hold up his hand. It wasn’t as shaky as it was before, but did he have a steady enough hand to shave? It felt ridiculous that he couldn’t get himself together. “I’m still appreciative, though,” he said quietly.

“Do you still want me to give you a shave?” Poe asked softly, reaching up to thread their fingers together, demonstrating the steadiness of his own hand. “I’m happy to. I give good shaves, stubble of my own notwithstanding.” He playfully rubbed his right cheek again Huxley’s, rough against mostly smooth. “The others will be reaching out soon to find out what we’re up to.”

Hux hoped that Poe couldn’t feel the quickening of his pulse as he clasped hands with him. He was about to answer when Poe rubbed his stubbled cheek against his own and something that was likely some combination of a chuckle and a giggle left him and he clamped his mouth shut at that, embarrassed. He cleared his throat.

“If you would, please. I don’t...like having stubble all that much,” Hux said.

“Oh, you’re so cute,” Poe said at the giggle and then looked a little embarrassed himself. He had not meant to be so transparent, though he supposed the cheek rub was that way, too. “I’m sorry. You’ve already got a lot to handle. You don’t need to worry about a dunderhead of a pilot, too. I’ll happily shave you. And be careful, too.” He lightly patted Huxley’s right shoulder, reluctantly pushed away and went to the refresher to get a new shaving kit. “Come on in and take a seat.”

Hux went a little red. “I’m not…” He said. Though, seeing Poe confused was strange. He was curious to know why he was suddenly apologising when he hadn’t done anything wrong. “You’re not a dunderhead.” He missed the contact, but got up slowly and followed him. He took a seat in front of the sink.

Poe got out a clean razor and towels, a softly scented aftershave lotion and a rich cream to lather Hux’s face for the shave. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “You _are_ cute, though. Now, please, sit and try to relax. I’ve done this for others before. And I have very steady hands...as a pilot.” He gestured and waited for Hux to settle.

Hux settled, resting his hands in his lap. “I trust you,” he said. And he did. He had for a while, even if it baffled him. He usually had steady hands himself, but even now he was still a bit shaky.

“That is the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Poe said with a warm smile for the other man. “I know trust is not easy for you.” He carefully dampened Hux’s face and began to spread the lather. True to his word, his hand remained steady and even as he ran the razor over Hux’s skin. There was not even the slightest prick from the blades, and when he washed off the extra foam, he was smooth all over. “Last touch.” He applied the light aftershave lotion and then smiled. “Perfect. Want a look?”

“I used to sleep with a knife under my pillow, so yes, trust wasn’t easy,” Hux said. “I couldn’t even trust the man who I believed to be my own father.” But he didn’t have time to go into all that; far too many stories. He remembered what was said about some bond between them and hoped that those sorts of memories didn’t end up shared.

But he was distracted from his thoughts by the feeling of Poe’s hands on his face applying the aftershave.

He looked into the mirror. “That’s better,” he said.

“Better? You look good, Hugs. Maybe a little tired still, but good. Even if you are a little shaky.” Poe leaned into him to offer support and warmth. “Do you want anything else before we go? I could comb your hair, though not as severely as you normally make it.”

Hux chuckled. “I’ll be okay once I get back into a normal rhythm of sleeping,” he said. “Okay. It’s still wet, so it should hold in place without gel at least.” Hux looked up at him, quickly realising his mistake before casually turning forward again. Poe was so close and always seemed to have tight trousers on. He could see that he was unfortunately a bit pink.

Poe noticed the direction of Hux’s glance and then the blush on his cheeks and suppressed a smile. “It’s good to hear you laugh,” he said, not commenting on Hux’s distraction. “If you’re ready, we should go. They’ll be waiting for us. And probably eager to hear and see how you’re doing.”

Hux stood up, knowing they had delayed it for so long already. He was nervous, on top of not knowing who he was going to be and what to really do, in some ways he wished he could just stay here and hide. Not a very common thing for him to want. He couldn’t help but stop for a minute, something in him wanting to express his gratitude to Poe, but he honestly didn’t know how. And he knew Poe didn’t feel he needed it.

“Thanks again for...everything. You were kind even when it was undeserved,” Hux said. And like his spirit had left his body, he somehow found himself ducking to kiss Poe’s cheek before he lost his nerve. Of course, it caught up to him quickly and he went red, deciding it was best to walk out. “Let’s go, I guess…” He didn’t want to make things further awkward.

Poe touched his cheek with his fingers after the soft brush of Hux’s chapped lips against it, wonder his eyes. And then he smiled, everything in his face lighting up with delight. He stooped to give Millie a brief, but thorough, petting, before almost skipping out the door after Hux. Catching up to him, he lightly bumped against his friend and smiled at him. “It was never undeserved, Hugs. I’m just glad I saw you running through the snow with Millie.”

He wished, too, that they weren’t in such a hugely important situation, demanding immediate attention. He wanted to drag Huxley off somewhere private and test his response to being kissed and kissed and kissed until they were both near senseless.

Sadly, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

Hux gave him a smile with confused brows. “I think you’re completely oblivious to the fact that not everyone would have stopped to save me,” Hux said. But that was why he trusted him. Even before he was stunned, he’d grown semi-trusting of him. As much as Armitage Hux could trust anyone, which was not at all before he met Poe.

Soon enough, they were in the med bay where Dr. Kalonia waited for him. He sat on a chair wanting to get this over with.

Dr. Kalonia came over and did some quick scans, checking on general vitals and his head. “You are definitely improved in your basics,” she said. “How are you feeling?”

Poe quietly took a chair in Hux’s line of sight, but out of the way. He smiled and nodded to General Organa, who quietly watched from as near as she could to the patient without interfering. It was obvious, despite her best attempts, that she wanted to talk to Huxley, wanted to see how he was, what he remembered.

Hux stayed still, knowing it didn’t really help when a patient fidgeted. “Better. Everything’s more settled now. I suppose now the hard part is pushing back what I’ve learnt,” he said. One of the ways he was going to do that was share what he could from his datapad, once the sentimental part was out of the way.

“I am a little concerned about what Poe has revealed...that some form of bond has formed,” Hux said.

Not that he expected the doctor to know much about that; it was more for Leia’s benefit.

Leia moved easily toward Huxley’s bedside and said, “Yes. The Commander mentioned it to me when he seemed to share dreams with you. Due to that link, we discovered a sleeper agent in our midst...someone we trusted.” She looked very sad and glanced at Poe, who shared her sorrow. “I did not want to check your mind while you were sleeping, but may I investigate the bond now? I would like to see how strong it has become.”

Hux had once been good at schooling his features, but he didn’t now. It was clear that Pryde had gone ahead with the sleeper agent business behind his back. He looked between them. Especially at Poe, as he thought he felt what he was feeling.

“Considering there have been a few stormtroopers who broke free of the programming, we might be able to help your friend out of hers,” Hux said, hoping to restore some of his optimism.

He looked at Leia. “Thank you...yes, you may,” he said.

Leia smiled and said, “We have placed the person under observation. I would appreciate your assistance in helping to deprogram her, as you say. Now, I will test your bond with Commander Dameron. Please be still and keep as calm as you can.” She raised her hands, hovering them a few inches from his forehead.

Poe leaned forward a little in his chair to watch the pair, noticing Dr. Kalnoia inconspicuously taking readings as she did.

“Your bond with the Commander is fairly strong, Huxley,” Leia said softly. “Can you speak to him through it?”

Hux nodded. He didn’t want to say anymore on the ‘programme’ at this moment, but he knew he would have to go into it at some point. Not that he was the expert, but he had read the reports from the original experiments.

“I...don’t know,” he admitted.

But there was no harm in trying. He closed his eyes and focused, channelling his energy towards Poe, testing the waters merely by saying _hello_.

Poe jerked a little in his seat and blinked at Huxley, before smiling slowly at him. “I heard that. It was clear in my head.” He tried to send a message back, a simple, _Can you hear me?_

Leia watched both of them with a combination of worry and affection. Their bond could harbor good things for them both or end up as a complete disaster. She saw no real middle option.

Hux nodded, shocked. “It...would seem we can both communicate, even with Poe not being Force sensitive...I’ve never heard of such a thing,” he said. He looked to Leia. “Is this normal? I didn’t really get to finish proper training in all of this. Only what Brendol deemed important.” He scoffed.

Poe’s eyes widened, and he blurted, “You could hear that? I couldn’t tell. I don’t have the ability, I guess.”

Leia lowered her hands and said, “This is as deep a bond as I am aware can be forged between two individuals, especially with one being Force nil. You have a true affinity for each other. And your mind has leaned on Poe, Huxley, when you needed help and support. Sharing dreams. Speaking without vocalizing. These are both things I’ve read about, but never seen. My brother...your father…I hope he can shed more light on these things when he comes.” She smiled at Huxley. “And he is coming. He will arrive tomorrow, with Rey. I have never heard or seen him so joyful, as when I told him of your survival, Huxley. Your presence here.”

Hux pressed his lips together, looking at Poe in thought. “Before the migraine, that night before, Poe had been experiencing a nightmare and, half-asleep, I peered gently into his mind before soothing it. I suppose it is possible that all this started then,” he explained. “If so, I’m, uh, sorry that I’ve dragged you into this.”

He nodded at Leia’s words, feelings all over the place. He clasped his hands together in his lap. “I wonder if I will be as much of a disappointment as I was to Brendrol,” Hux said, trying to keep his cool. It’d been a long time since he had a good father figure.

Leia made a noise that managed to combine sorrow, anger and denial in one and reached out for Huxley, freezing before she touched him, realizing her action may not be wanted. “No. Never. Nor will I.” She folded her hands before her and said softly, “I know much about being hurt and disappointed in the choices of a son. But I love him, no matter what. That is what being a parent means...a real parent.”

Poe smiled at Leia, though it was tinged with sorrow. He’d only learned the truth about Kylo Ren after he’d staggered back to the Resistance after his mind attack. But he also spoke with firmness to Huxley. “I wasn’t dragged into this. If you remember...I dragged you and your cat with you into this. I’m here by choice.”

Hux didn’t flinch as Leia reached out for him, which surprised even himself. “For what it’s worth, I’m not sure...Ben…” It was difficult to admit that he was Ben, even to himself. “...is completely gone. Snoke often questioned his loyalties and…” Kriff.

He chuckled. “Sure, but becoming bonded to a former enemy General was unlikely part of your plans,” Hux said.

He looked back at Leia, his aunt. This was all so surreal. “Speaking of Snoke and...Ben...the last meeting the three of us had was of Snoke pushing Ben to...dispose of his sentiments,” Hux said, awkwardly. “Is Han alright? He should probably be careful in case Ben...tries anything.”

Leia watched her nephew awkward his way through opening up a little with a smile. “Han is fine. He’s hoping to see you, too. As is Chewbacca. Do you remember them at all now? Chewie used to play with both you and Ben when you were little. And Poe, too, although you never met Poe when you were children. But Chewie knew you all.”

“And thank you. It is kind of you to offer me hope...about Ben. But I saw what he did to Poe. How he hurt him...I fear my son is far gone.”

Hux smiled a little. “I remember them both. Chewbacca’s hugs always tickled,” Hux said.

He pursed his lips. “I don’t know either. He wasn’t much nicer to his co-workers either,” he said, staring away from her. He didn’t realise he’d subconsciously started rubbing the side of his neck. “And all of that for the location of...well, my father. Even Snoke wasn’t all that impressed by his struggle for revenge.”

Leia closed her eyes for a quiet moment of sorrow on behalf of her lost son. “I am glad you have escaped both of their grasps, Huxley,” she said at last, looking back at him again. “Losing both of you has been the hardest thing we have ever lived through. To have you back...you are hope. You will help our fight...if you wish. I know you were brought up in the tradition of the First Order and taught that was the right way. And I do not know how you feel about it now.” She gazed at him with her warm, but cautious, eyes.

Poe sat up straighter in his chair, too, eyes intent on Huxley. He so wanted the other man to fully join their cause and tell them all he knew of the Order. But he didn’t push, even through the bond.

Hux nodded, reaching into his jacket. He pulled out the small, folded up datapad. “It is why I brought this. It may take a while to come to terms with who I was and who I am now...at least, to figure out what that is, but I can at least share what I can,” Hux said.

“It would feel wrong not to, at this point,” Hux said.

Hux opened the datapad up and went through all of the security protocols before turning them off so that anyone could view it.

Leia took the datapad gratefully and said, “This means more than I can say, Huxley. Will you help us best utilize the data on this?” She offered the pad to Poe and said, “Commander Dameron, please take this to Lieutenant Kaydel. She’ll direct getting the information off of it.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Poe said with a salute. “I’ll be right back,” he told them both, though the words were more directed at Huxley than General Organa. He trotted out of the room quickly.

“Of course. I have removed the security protocols so that it can be accessed without me,” he said. He had always been pretty guarded with his datapad, but he was in a completely different situation now.

When Poe left, he clasped his hands together in front of him. “I feel that this is all largely down to Poe. I don’t think many would have treated me the way he did,” Hux said.

Leia’s smile grew, and she said, “He’s gotten himself in trouble more than a few times, but if I had to choose one person to best represent the Resistance, it would be Com-Poe.” She used his first name upon consideration, as he deserved it. “Poe. He’d cut out his heart and let you have it if he thought it would better serve you than him. That’s the way he is. Given me more than a few gray hairs, and if you care about him as much as it feels like you do, he’ll give you a few, too.”

Hux’s gaze turned away and a little distant, a little bit of helplessness and worry in his expression. “Millicent aside, I’m not used to worrying over people,” he said. He feared he wasn’t going to like seeing Poe go out on missions, but he couldn’t exactly hold him back.

“He had better not try something so drastic,” he muttered.

Leia tilted her head curiously and asked, “Something so drastic as what, Huxley? Is there a specific something you’re thinking or just the general derring-do he’s capable of?” She was rather charmed by how much Hux obviously cared for the pilot. It was a good sign for his return to himself.

Hux blinked and looked at her again. “Oh, I mean like your example. He unfortunately seems the type to give up organs for those he cares about...just make sure he doesn’t for me,” Hux said. Or anyone else, but that was not something he wanted to voice.

Leia chuckled softly and glanced at the door a few seconds before Poe burst back in. “Kaydel has the pad,” he said happily. “She’s very excited.” He winked at Hux and took a seat back on his chair, still smiling.

Leia looked back to Hux. “Is there anything you would ask of me, Huxley, now that your memories have returned?”

Hux turned away from Poe, trying to hide the warmth in his cheeks.

He looked back at Leia, hoping to be safe now. “To be quite honest, I don’t know,” he said. He was...relieved to have a family who cared for him and yet at a loss of what to do with it.

Leia just nodded and said, “You may as time goes on. I hope you will feel comfortable asking any of us.” She looked to Dr. Kalonia. “Do you need to speak to Huxley?”

Dr. Kalonia nodded and said, “I do. And I need to ask all of you to leave.”

Poe stood and smiled at Huxley. “I’ll be with BB-8 at my X-wing, if you want to see me when you’re done.”

Hux nodded. “I will,” he said to Leia. It was strange, but not in a bad way.

He straightened up, keeping a neutral expression to hide his worry. “Okay, I’ll see you there, then,” Hux said.

When they left, he turned to the doctor.

“Now that everyone else is gone, I hope you will tell me, Mr. Skywalker, if anything hurts or is in discomfort right now,” Dr. Kalonia said. “Your scans indicate a significant lessening of pressure in your brain and increased activity in the areas I would associate with Force using. That may in part be the bond you’ve formed with Commander Dameron. With your permission, I’d like to examine both you and Commander Dameron during the next few days for signs of the bond and how it’s changing your brainwaves and other health indicators.” 

To hear that name used on him was strange, but he didn’t say anything. “No, not really. I feel a bit groggy, but excessive sleep will do that,” he said. “Oh, yes, okay. That would probably be best. I don’t think any of us are too sure what this bond will entail.”

“I will ask Commander Dameron for his permission, as well,” Dr. Kalonia assured. “I will recommend to General Organa that you are fit for whatever duty she sees to assign you, but with the caveat that you continue to monitor yourself. This is a huge change for you, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up with some physical responses, as well.”

Hux nodded. “Of course. I will be careful,” he said. “I am usually rather self-aware, even if I have kept it to myself. Unfortunately for that side of me, Poe is a little too intuitive for his own good.” And empathetic. He still wasn’t sure why he had been so concerned before all of this came out.

Dr. Kalonia chuckled and said, “He’s always been a friendly man, but he took to you like nobody I have ever seen. It seems he is indeed intuitive, when it comes to you, at least. You are free to go. I will reach out to General Organa. May I assume you will be with Commander Dameron for now?”


End file.
